All The Better To
by Ronnini
Summary: She's going on an adventure to find something different, something new. He's certainly different.
1. Prologue

**I've gone back and edited this chapter. I didn't realize how god awful it was until I re-read it. For those of you that have read this before, I just edited a few things here and there, nothing drastically different and for those of you who are first reading this, I made it better for you :)  
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**All grammar and spelling mistakes are mine  
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**I do not own Once Upon A Time or Teen Wolf (though, if I did, I would have some very sexy actors ;) )  
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The sun had barely peeked up from behind the horizon, the sky was still dark. Ruby stood at the corner waiting for the bus to come. The streets were completely empty, still wet from the rain that had just ceased from pouring moments ago.

She wanted to do this without anyone noticing. The thought crossed her mind that this might not be the best idea, but she couldn't think like that now or she would never go through with it.

A giant gust of cool wind blew in her direction. She wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered.

Now that the spell had been broken, everyone was trying to get back to their lives, but when she thought about it, she didn't have much of one. Snow and Charming had reunited and now they had Emma and Henry. Everyone seemed to have someone that anchored them here except for her. She wanted Granny to be enough, but she just wasn't. She tried not to think of Peter at moments like these, but she couldn't help it. She had gotten over it a long time ago. She had come to terms with what she had done, but that didn't make it hurt any less. She had always felt as though Peter was the only one for her in the world and that may have been true, but now she is in this new world. Maybe that special someone for her was somewhere here, in this new world?

She knew Granny wouldn't be happy with her decision, but she isn't ready to take over the diner or do whatever it is the she wants her to do now. She left Granny a note telling her what she was doing. There was no way she could have told her to her face, it would have been too painful. Granny probably would have ended up telling her she was taking the easy way out, running away from her fears rather than facing them, but the stories that August had told her, about his adventures, were still ringing in her mind. That's what she needed to do. She needed to go on an adventure before she settled down. She had never seen this world. Granny had always kept her on a tight lock because of her "condition", but she had gained control of it now. She hoped Granny wouldn't be too disappointed in her for making this decision, that someday she would forgive her, she wouldn't blame her if she didn't though.

She had everything packed into her suitcase, _including the red cloak._ All she had on was a red plaid tunic, black leather leggings, a black leather motorcycle jacket, black knee high boots, and a red beanie covering her brown, full, curly locks (that were now free of those red streaks). She had plenty of money saved up from working at the diner, so paying for things wouldn't be an issue. She had no idea where she was going, but isn't that the whole point? It's about the journey, not the destination, wasn't that the phrase? She was ready to see what this world had to offer. She probably wouldn't see lemurs or anything like what August had mentioned, but maybe she would find something just as interesting on her adventure.

The lights from the approaching bus blinded her. She stepped away from the curb to make sure she didn't get splashed by the freshly formed puddles. The sign on the front of the bus changed, stating that the next stop would be Boston. Boston sounded like a good start for her trip. It's where Emma was from, so if Emma could hang there, so could she. She grabbed her suit case and made her way up the steps.

"Can I see your ticket ma'am?" The elderly bus driver asked.

Her face was the picture of pure panic and disappointment. She needed a ticket. Of course! How could she possibly have forgotten that? This journey was going to be over before it even started. Regretfully, she turned to walk back down the steps, her head hung in sorrow with tears forming in her eyes.

"Wait," the bus driver said desperately. "This town was newly assigned to my route. I'm pretty sure that means you have no idea how this works. For now you can just pay the fee for the next stop directly to me, but I will only do this for you this one time. That'll be $40."

Ruby frantically wrestled through her things for her wallet. She grabbed two twenties and handed them to him, her hand only shaking slightly. "Thank you so much." She told him almost breathlessly.

"Hey, it's no problem. I honestly had no idea this place existed." He said with a chuckle. She couldn't help but roll her eyes at this statement.

"Yeah, most people don't." She mumbled as she made her way back to the seats.

She started to walk further away from the man, but then she thought that she actually wouldn't mind some company on this ride, seeing as there was no one else on the bus. She chose the seat closest to the font on the other side of the driver so that she could see his face.

"So what's a girl like you doing leaving a little town like this?" The driver asked out of curiosity.

Ruby sighed heavily. This probably wasn't going to be the last time that someone was going to ask her this on her trip. She might as well get her story straight now. "There is nothing for me here. I need a change. I need an adventure." She told him, her pitch escalated in excitement on the last statement.

"Well, I hope you find whatever you are looking for." He said encouragingly, shooting her a smile.

Their conversation ended there and all that is heard are the tires running over that wet road, splashing coming from puddles ever so often. The sun had risen high in the sky by this point. She looked back, watching as the town she had been stuck in for 28 years grew smaller and smaller as the bus moved forward. She turned to face the front just in time to see the sign stating she was now leaving Storybrooke. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. This was it, her journey had officially begun. There was no turning back now.

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**I hope you enjoyed what I have written so far. Reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated since this is my first time writing a story on here, just don't be too harsh :)**


	2. A Sight Worth Seeing

**Thank you to everyone that read the prologue. I feel like maybe people need more of a push to follow this story so I decided to post another chapter sooner than expected. The majority of this chapter will be in Ruby's point of view, but is switched to Derek's at the very end ;). I'm going with the assumption that Ruby isn't entirely aware of the world she lives in besides Storybrooke. I hope you enjoy it **

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time**

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She ended up completely on the other side of the country; Beacon Hills, California to be exact. It's actually a lot like Storybrooke, with the large wooded areas and the rainy weather, but there's one thing that's different that she was told she had to see. A guy she met in Arizona said that the site is almost magical. The mixtures of pink, purple, orange, yellow, and red is something that you can only experience by being there. When the sun sets on the coast it was like nothing she had ever seen. That's how she had decided to come here, not Beacon Hills to be exact, it just so happened to be the place where the guy she hitched a ride from was headed.

It's been almost 2 months since she left Storybrooke, and she had experienced plenty since then. After Boston she had left for New York. Time Square was the most exhilarating place she had ever been to. The way the square lit up at night was breathtaking. The people matched the atmosphere as well, the street performers had entertained her for hours. Sleeping there was a whole different story though. Unlike in Storybrooke, it seemed that in New York no one went to sleep. All the new sounds and technology, it was a little overwhelming and New York was that all wrapped into one. She was still getting used to everything in this new world. The Ruby side of her was more accustomed to this, though not on the scale of New York, but the Red side of her still seemed lost. It was too much for her to handle all at once, so she decided to move on to the next place.

Her next stop was Washington D.C., the capital of America. She decided it would probably be a good idea to learn more about this world that she lived in. She was tired of getting weird looks when people would mention things about this country and she wouldn't understand a word of it. If she was going to be stuck here she might as well make an effort to seem as though she belonged. During her visit she learned that America really wasn't all that different from her world. They have a president, who is like a queen or king, but the people have plenty more rights and the president doesn't have the same amount of power. There were still battles for control of land or for the people themselves. She found it quite fascinating.

She made her way through Kentucky, Missouri, and Kansas. She didn't find anything interesting there, just peaceful, secluded places to gather her thoughts and admire the beauty of this world.

Her first experience with snowboarding came when she arrived in Boulder, Colorado. She was sitting by herself in a little café when a group of 3 guys around her age came through the door dressed in heavy coats, knit hats, and goggles on their heads. The tall blonde one noticed her right away and ushered his friends over to her.

"Do you mind if we join you? The place is kind of full." The blonde asked shooting her a bright, white toothy smile.

Ruby quickly put down the coffee she had been drinking to answer him. "Sure." She said giving him a shy smile. He took the seat right next her while the other two sat in the seats across from her. "So, where are you coming from dressed like that?" She asked curiously.

"We're just taking a break from the slopes." He told her.

She gave him a quizzical look.

"We were snowboarding." He said, trying to make his point clearer.

She had no idea what they are talking about. She hoped that she wasn't showing the confusion on her face, but judging by the way they are looking at her it was pretty obvious how lost she was.

"Have you never been snowboarding before?" He asked with a chuckle.

They all looked shocked when she shook her head no. She felt so embarrassed. Yet another thing she doesn't know about this world she was forced to live in.

"You're not from around here are you?" He gave her this look as though he knew she clearly didn't belong in this world. She knew that wasn't the case though, people here don't believe in those sorts of things.

"No, I'm from Maine actually." She told him.

They all nodded at her confession.

"Wow, that's a long ways away. What brings you here?" She can tell they're all interested in her answer as they all lean in really close. Her body tensed at his question. She always hates when people ask her that. Is she just supposed to turn to them and say _"Well, 28 years ago, an evil queen from the world that I'm actually from banished us to your world in a place called Storybrooke, Maine. She gave us completely new identities and separated us from the ones we love. That all changed when, get this, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming showed up and broke the curse. We all got our memories back, so now I feel like I'm two different people at once. Oh, and people from your world might know me as Red Riding Hood. I also happen to turn into a wolf during the time around a full moon. I basically panicked and ran from my problems and decided to travel all around America. So, tell me more about snowboarding."_ She just decided to tell them what she tells everyone else. "I needed a change. I wanted to go on an adventure." She always feels like it's a stupid answer, but people always buy it.

"That's awesome. Good for you." He said, giving her a genuine smile. "Hey, how about we take you with us and I can teach you how to snowboard?" She's thrown back by his offer. Usually people are offended by her standoffish attitude and just leave her alone, this guy actually seemed interested.

"Oh I wouldn't want to impose. Besides, you guys clearly look like you know what you're doing and I obviously don't. Plus, I'm hardly dressed for snowboarding." She said, pointing at her ensemble. She was wearing a long sleeved red knit dress that ended mid thigh on top of dark grey leggings and a pair of black high heel ankle boots. The offer really was tempting though, she really wished she could go.

"Oh don't sweat it. My dad owns the ski resort. I'm pretty sure we can find some clothes for you there." He assured her with a wink. "By the way, my name is Kyle and these two are Brad and James." They both give her a wave and she waved back.

"I'm Ruby." She told them.

He grabbed her hand to led her out of the café. Once they made it back to resort he directed her to the store.

"Go ahead and pick out anything you like. I'm sure my dad will be fine with my new friend borrowing some proper snowboarding essentials. I'll meet you back here so that I can help you with getting boots and a board." He let her loose and she felt practically giddy with excitement. She ended up picking out a red ski suit, white gloves, a black knit hat, and pink goggles. She felt weird wearing all of those things together, but she looked like everyone else so she didn't worry too much about it.

She bounded over Kyle, practically skipping, and he just gaves her a huge smile.

"Well don't you look like the perfect snow bunny." He chuckled.

She wasn't sure if that was a complement, but she took it as one. He led her over to the area with the skiing and snowboarding equipment. They found a pair boots that fit her and got a board that was the appropriate size for her. They met up with Brad and James once they were outside.

"You guys go head," Kyle told them. "I'm going to help her get used to it on the bunny slope. Hopefully we will able to meet up with you by the end of the day." He winked at her at the end of his statement.

At first, it didn't seem like they were going to end up joining Brad and James on the slopes. It took her several tries to even stand upright on the board and several more to keep her balance once she started moving. Luckily for her, Kyle was there to pick her up every time she fell. He really was a great teacher, she assumed it was because his father owns this place so he must do it a lot. He confirms her assumption when she asked and he told her that he's been snowboarding since he was 5. He's lived in Boulder his whole life. She avoided all of his questions about her life by falling over or even "accidentally" knocking him over a couple times. He didn't seem to notice.

After 3 hours of learning the basics and a couple of trial runs, which she nailed perfectly by the end, he was convinced that she's ready to go down a real slope. They met Brad and James at the chairlift. Kyle let them go first and he took a seat with Ruby in the next chair. As they were going up he put his arm around her. She shifted slightly at his close proximity, but he made no effort to move. It seemed like such an intimate gesture to her, but she acted as though it wasn't really meant to be one.

"Now, if you get frightened or feel like you can't make it down remember what I told you. Slide onto your butt and I will come get you and help you down." She nodded in agreement and scooted forward in her seat, preparing to get off the lift. He got off first and then turned around and held out his hands so that he could help her. She tottered slightly, but surprisingly managed to get off without falling down. She looked up with a smile on her face to see Kyle mimicking her expression. Brad and James were waiting for them when they got to the top of the hill. They all shared a nod and Kyle turned to Ruby.

"You ready?" He asked her.

As she looked down the steep slope a shiver ran down her spine. She could only muster a nod in response. She was kind of nervous, but she couldn't let him see that. Once they all acknowledged they were ready they shot off down the hill and she had no choice but to follow. Going down the slope she gained speed like crazy, weaving left and right to avoid obstacles. At one point she ended up passing Kyle, Brad, and James, giving them a playful wave. When she made it to the bottom she turned to see that they were still only half way down the hill. She bounced up and down with excitement, but due to the fact that she was still strapped onto her board she lost her balance and fell backwards into a big pile of snow. As she was struggling to get up she saw a hand reach out for her. She grabbed it and it pulled her out of the heap.

"That's what you get for showing off." Kyle told her with a smirk.

She giggled and felt cold and wetness on her cheek. Kyle reached forward and brushed some snow off of her face with his gloved thumb. Her cheeks were now not only pink because of the cool wind hitting her face from coming down the hill at top speed, but because she was blushing from yet another intimate situation. She quickly straightened up and brushed the snow off of her suit to break the moment.

"That was pretty impressive for a first timer. Are you sure you've never done this before?" He asked skeptically, an eyebrow raised slightly.

She only giggled. She was too flustered to give him a full answer.

"Ready for another go?" He asked enthusiastically.

She nodded and they made their way over to the chairlift once again. They did a couple more runs until Kyle suggested they stop for the day and go get something to eat. They went to a local bar that was a couple blocks from the resort. It was packed by the time they got there and Kyle seemed to know everyone in there. He introduced Ruby and told them her very brief story of where she was from and why she was here. They ate and laughed at each others jokes. Ruby really was having a great time, but she still felt out of place. She got up to order another martini, but instead of heading back to the guys, she headed towards the back to stand outside on the balcony.

It had definitely gotten cooler since earlier that day. She had changed back into her clothes from earlier with the added black leather jacket. She reached the railing, leaned against it on her elbows, and stared up at the sky. The moon as half full tonight.

She hadn't had that side of her come out in years. She wasn't even sure if it was even possible, but with magic returning to the world she wouldn't doubt it. She has the cloak though, and now she knows that it's of the utmost importance that she uses it. She can't let her guard down, not in this world.

"So this is where you ran off to."

She was shaken from her thoughts by Kyle's voice. He made his way over to her, leaning on the railing just like she was.

"The moon is beautiful isn't it?" He commented.

"If you're into that sort of thing I guess." She responded in a snarky tone. She felt him move closer to her. His closeness gave her mixed emotions. It was great to have someone act so sweet towards her, but at the same time it just didn't feel right.

"I had a great time today. You're a quick learner. We should do it again. In fact I was wondering if,"

He leaned forward as is he was going to kiss her, but she cut him off with the wave of her hand. She knew she should have said something earlier, but she was hoping that he was just being a genuinely nice person.

"Look, Kyle, you're a really sweet guy, you're actually one of nicest guys I've met in a while, but I'm not looking for that sort of thing right now. I'm trying to find where I fit in this world and I don't need a relationship to make it more complicated than it already is. Besides, I'll be leaving Boulder soon, a guy I met a couple days ago told me about the Grand Canyon and how it's something you have to see in your lifetime, so that's where I'm going next." She tried not to sound too harsh when telling him this. She truly was flattered that he felt that way about her. She just wasn't ready.

He pushed himself away from the railing and took a swig of his beer. "Well, maybe once you find yourself you can come back and find me. Deal?" He held out his hand for her to shake.

She was hesitant at first because she knew she wouldn't be coming back, but she couldn't let him down twice in one night. "Deal." She told him as she shook his hand. She headed back into the bar with him and she had a pleasant time for the rest of the night.

The next day she left for Arizona. When she got to the Grand Canyon it was everything the man had told her and more. The view was amazing, though she didn't stand too close to the railing around the edge. Heights aren't really her thing. She didn't go down into the canyon either, that was an adventure for another time.

A couple nights later she met a guy at the bar who told her about the sunsets in California. How there was no place else in the world that you could experience a sunset like it. She decided that that's where she would go next, but unfortunately, she was just about all out of money. She knew it was a risk, but she had heard of people hitching a ride to places. She tried it the next day and luckily gots a ride from a nice man that was headed that way.

While watching the sunset over the horizon she was reminded that she had no money. She couldn't just continue hitching rides from people across America. She was stuck in California for now, and in all honesty, she didn't think that it was such a bad thing. Maybe staying in a place longer than a couple days will help her find herself? As luck might have it, the local diner was hiring. She was completely aware how ironic it was that she left a diner only to end up at another one, but at least at this one no one would be expecting anything from her. The owner, Vivian, was a sweet old lady, almost like Granny, that was more than happy to give her the job. Ruby also explained to her about her living situation and she was kind enough to allow her to stay at her house. For now she would only be working during the day which she was more than happy to accept.

On her first day she was blown away by how busy the diner got. Granny's diner had never been like this even on their busier days. By the end her shift she was completely exhausted. When she made it home she collapsed onto her bed. The sweltering heat of the room became too much so she opened a window. The cool, coastal air felt nice and she quickly drifted off to sleep. She completely forgot the fact that tonight was a full moon and her cloak was hanging up, untouched, on the bedroom door.

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Derek was getting things ready for the transformation tonight. Boyd and Erica were still having a hard time grounding themselves so they needed to be locked up tight, but Isaac seemed to have gotten a hold of it.

Everyone was all chained up and ready to go when he heard a howl in the distance. They all instantly become alert and were on their toes.

"Okay, you guys stay here while I go check this out. There's no need for a repeat of the other night." He said, scolding Erica and Boyd. "Isaac, I'm leaving you in charge. I trust that you will keep them out of trouble so don't let me down." He said while patting Isaac on the back.

He sprinted towards the direction from which he heard the howl. He ended up deep in the woods. He wasn't aware of any other wolves in town and he hoped this wasn't another trap set up by the Argent's. The quietness was cut by another howl. Derek noticed that the tone of the howl sounded sad and lonely, like the creature was lost. It sounded closer than last time so he made his way further towards it. He instantly froze when he saw it. Though his suspicions were confirmed, it was in fact a wolf, it certainly wasn't like any wolf he had ever seen before. He would have thought it was a regular wolf if it wasn't for its immense size. Could it be some other species of werewolf?

He watched it wander around the woods as though it was looking for something. Its movements were lagged. He could tell something was wrong with it, but he didn't know what. He followed the wolf for hours. It had started making its way back into town and he almost ran out to stop it so that the town wouldn't become alerted of its presence, but something strange started happening. The wolf rose up on its hind legs and continued walking towards the house in front of it. Right before his eyes the wolf transformed into a naked girl with flowing, long brown hair. She climbed through the window and Derek was left completely dumbfounded to what he had just witnessed.

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**I decided to switch to Derek's point of view at that point because I feel he is more coherent in his wolf form than Ruby is. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and once again reviews are welcome and much appreciated.**

**And did anyone watch Teen Wolf last night?! My poor babies Jackson and Stiles :( **


	3. Not So Big and Bad

**I know, 3 chapters in one week, please don't get used to it. I just wanted to get one more chapter out before I left for vacation where I will have no internet. **

**Are you ready for some Derek and Ruby interaction? :)**

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time**

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Derek hadn't moved from his spot at the edge of the woods since he saw her disappear into the house in front of him last night. He hadn't slept at all. He knew he should have gone back and checked on his pack, but he couldn't stop thinking about what he had seen last night. He was going to follow this girl, all day if he had to, to see if she would slip up and maybe reveal what she really was. He didn't need a new threat coming into this town. He already had the Argent's and possibly Peter to deal with. Though, her actions last night didn't seem threatening, but he wasn't going to take any chances. At this point anything was possible. He had already experienced a false alarm earlier when an old woman left the house. Maybe she was some troubled girl that had been sent to live with her grandmother, but he didn't care about that. All he cared about was finding out what she really was and why she was here. He didn't need her messing with the system he had already set up with the Argent's. A new, unknown wolf would just cause more problems.

He was brought to his feet when he saw her come through the front door in what looked like a uniform for the local diner, though it was slightly altered. She had shortened the pink pleated skirt as well as the white scalloped apron and raised the hem of the pink blouse to show a little of her stomach. She had added a pair of knee high white socks and pink high heels. Her dark brown hair hung loose with her bangs pinned back in a braid. Lastly, she was carrying a relatively large black leather bag. He wanted to get a closer look at her, but for right now that was too dangerous.

He followed her through town, making sure to stay hidden so that she wouldn't catch him. It was surprising to him how he couldn't sense her presence like he could with other werewolves and from what he could tell, she couldn't sense him either. He followed her all the way to the diner and watched her make her way inside. He slunk back and decided to wait until the place got a little busier before entering. When he felt enough people had collected inside he went in. He found the only open booth and took a seat. He searched through the crowd to find her and spotted her at standing at the window to the kitchen, handing the chef orders. From what he could see she was the only one working so the chances of her coming over to take his order were in his favor. Unfortunately for him someone else spotted him before she did. Stiles and Scott had just walked through the door and instantly recognized him, making their way over.

"Fuck." Derek muttered under his breath. He seriously did not need to deal with them right now.

"Hey Broody, what are you doing here? Are you really risking being seen out in public when you're the towns most wanted criminal just for some famous blueberry pancakes?" Stiles joked as he slid into the booth. Scott followed right behind him. "He's right Derek. You really shouldn't be here."

Derek sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face. "Look, I wouldn't be out in public unless it was really important. It's not really helping that you two shitheads showed up and could possibly draw attention over to me. Don't you have school or something to go to?" Derek quipped.

"We have school in an hour, chill out. So, what's so important that you risked being seen?" Scott asked.

He debated whether or not to tell them. Would it really be that smart to tell them that yet another thing he didn't know about had come to town? He didn't need anyone questioning his alpha abilities right now. He didn't have a chance to answer them though because at that moment the specific girl he was debating telling them about walked up to the table.

"Hi, my name is Ruby and I will be serving you today. What can I get you guys?" She asked in a peppy tone.

Derek noticed Stiles and Scott's eyes both widen at Ruby's appearance.

"I'll just have a coffee, black, and if these two could function I'm pretty sure they would tell you that they wanted the famous blueberry pancakes." He said, giving her a toothy smile. His eyes roam over her trying to see if there was anything that stood out about her, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. She actually was quite pretty. She had these beautiful hazel eyes and a truly captivating smile. He wasn't supposed to be noticing those though.

"Great! It'll bit out in a few." She said with a smile as she turned to walk away.

He watched her as the skirt swish with the sway of her hips. He turned around to face Stiles and Scott, whose jaws had almost dropped to the table.

"Whoa, who was that? Is she new in town?" Stiles asked after coming out of his daze.

"Yeah, she's new in town. She's the reason I'm here actually." Derek told them. He saw the realization in their faces as well as the broad smiles that spread across them and he instantly regreted putting it that blatantly.

"D'awwww, does Broody have a little crush on the new girl in town?" Stiles inquired mockingly. He started making kissy faces, but the action was instantly ceased when Derek grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him across the table so that they are face to face.

"It's not like that." Derek growled. He quickly let go of Stiles, who instantly readjusted his shirt. He didn't need to draw any attention to them, they could ruin everything if they didn't keep their mouths shut.

Ruby chose that moment to resurface and bring them their orders.

"Okay, two blueberry pancakes for you two and a black coffee for you." She said while placing their food in front of them. "Is there anything else I can get you guys?" She asked happily.

Derek knew that this would be his only chance for a while to ask her some questions so he took the opportunity.

"No, we're good. So, are you new in town? I don't think I've seen you before." Derek asked. He checked her face for any sort of reaction and he noticed that her cheeks tensed up.

"Uh, yeah, I'm new in town. I just got here the other day actually. I wasn't planning on staying, but I ran out of money. So here I am, well, at least until I have enough to go back home." He could tell by her heart beat that she was answering honestly, but there was something strange about it that made him think she wasn't telling him the whole story. He was about to ask her another question, but she interrupted him.

"Look, I would love to stay and chat, but this place is really busy today, so I have to go service the other customers." As soon as she said it she had rushed off to the table at the other side of the restaurant. Great, his first conversation with her and it had gotten him nowhere. He wasn't giving up though. He was going to find out what she was doing here before anyone else did.

"So, care to explain why you're here and what it has to do with her?" Scott asked.

He had no choice but to tell them by this point. He just hoped he wouldn't come to regret it later.

"Okay, look, you have to promise not to mention this to anyone got it?" He demanded. He waited for a nod from both Stiles and Scott and then continued. "Last night when everyone was getting ready for the full moon I heard a howl. I went to check it out and I saw something I had never seen before. I was pretty positive it was a wolf, but it was so much bigger than an ordinary one. It wasn't like any werewolf I had seen before since it stayed on all fours. It sounded so sad and lonely and its motions mimicked that. I followed it all the way into to town and all of a sudden it transformed into her." Once he finished they all turned to stare at Ruby who was waiting at the counter for more orders.

"So you're telling me she's another werewolf? But I didn't sense her when I came in here." Scott said skeptically.

"I know, I didn't sense her either. Maybe she is a different type of werewolf. That's what I came here to find out." Derek responded.

"Well good luck with that buddy. We gotta get to school." Stiles said, though, it was muffled by the last bite of blueberry pancake that he stuffed in his mouth.

Derek watched as they left the restaurant only to realize that they had left him with the check. He fished out his wallet for some cash. He decided to leave a very generous tip. Maybe then she would be encouraged to talk to him. He was about to walk through the front door when 3 cops walked in, including Sheriff Stilinski. Derek swiveled around and made his way to the back. There had to be another way out of here. He found the door in the back and barreled through it only to hit something on the other side.

"What the hell?" He heard a feminine voice call from the other side.

Derek walked out from behind the door to see Ruby picking herself up from the ground. He rushed over to give her a hand. Once he had pulled her to her feet she brushed the dirt off her uniform with her hands.

"Sorry about that. Someone I've been trying to avoid came through the front so I thought I could exit through the back. I didn't think anyone would be back here." Derek apologized.

"It's okay. One of the other waitresses came in so I decided to take a break. It gets kind of stuffy in the kitchen so I usually come outside during my breaks." Ruby reassured him. "That was a pretty generous tip you left me." She added as if she was questioning his motives.

"Well you said you needed money to get back home, so anything helps right?" He told her.

"Thank you." She said before leaning back against the wall of the restaurant.

This time he is positive he can get some more information out of her so he gave it another try.

"Where is home anyways, if you don't mind me asking?" At this point Derek had joined her on the wall right beside her.

He heard her heartbeat start to quicken. Now he was getting somewhere. _"I wish I knew."_ He thought he heard her whisper.

"What was that?" He asked.

She instantly looked flustered and straightened up.

"Uh, I'm from Maine, Storybrooke Maine to be exact." She said confidently.

He could tell she was telling the truth, but there was that strangeness tied to it once again. Why on earth would a werewolf travel all the way from Maine to California? Sure, he's heard of wolves traveling long distances, but they were usually with a pack and never all the way across the country. This girl certainly was a puzzle.

"I know what you're going to say," she said interrupting his thoughts. "What's a girl from Maine doing in California? Well I'll save you the time and just chalk it up to the typical girl trying to find herself in the world story." She explained.

That certainly explained why the wolf he saw seemed so lost last night. She was lost as well. He saw the grim expression on her face and felt a slight twinge in his chest. He didn't want her to feel that way, he wanted her to smile. He wanted to be the one to make her smile.

Where had that feeling come from? That wasn't what he was here for. He had one mission: to find out what she was and why she was here. Not to make some sad, lost girl feel better about herself. He needed to focus.

"So, why did you pick Beacon Hills of all places? Wouldn't you like to stay in a place a little less strange?" Derek asked finally breaking the silence.

"I came to California to see the sunset. I just happened to end up here by chance. What's so strange about this place?" She asked confused.

"Well legend has it that werewolf's roam around here. Last night was a full moon. Did you happen to hear or see any?" He asked with a smirk. He knew he had caught her when he saw her swallow and heard her heartbeat quicken.

"Um, no, I don't think I saw or heard anything last night. Besides, you said it was a legend, like a fairytale, those things aren't real." She quickly replied.

There was that strange heartbeat again. God, he could not figure this girl out.

"Well, they probably need me back in there, so I'm gonna go. It was nice talking to you,"

"Derek." He said finishing her sentence.

"Derek." She said before walking back inside.

He stuck around until the end of her shift. He hadn't gotten a clear answer from her yet and he wasn't going to leave until he got one. There was something different about this girl. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he felt like she wasn't like anything he had ever encountered. Maybe she didn't know she turned into this thing during a full moon. What would he do then? Would he have to tell her? That might lead to him having to watch over her, which wouldn't be the best thing right now. He couldn't get too ahead of himself though. He needed to learn more about her before he jumped to any conclusions.

I was around 6 o'clock when her shift ended. He watched as she waved goodbye to the other waitresses and walked through the door. The sun was just about to set and he watched her stand there for a moment, admiring it. She was so memorized by it and he didn't understand what was so special about it. She was making her way down the street when he saw something red slip from her black leather bag. He stealthily crept behind her to pick up whatever had just been dropped. When he got close enough he realized it was a rather large red cloak.

"Hey! I think you dropped this!" He yelled at her.

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned around. He could see the expression on her face change from confusion to shock. She practically ran towards him when she realized what he was holding and quickly snatched it out of his hands. As fast as she had run towards him she ran in the other direction towards the house he had seen her exit earlier.

"Wait! I was just being polite! I didn't mean to scare you!" He yelled in her direction, but his apology fell on deaf ears as she disappeared out of sight. What the hell had just happened? She had looked completely terrified when she had seen what he was holding. What the fuck was she, some twisted version of Red Riding Hood?

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**Hope you liked this one. Get ready for a Ruby freak out in the next chapter :) I might be able to write that chapter over vacation since I won't have any internet to distract me, but then there is the beach. The beach is very tempting. **

**Reviews are greatly appreciated**


	4. A Second First Impression

**I really struggled with this chapter and I'm still not sure if I like it very much, but it had to be written. I hope you don't hate it as much as I do. **

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time  
**

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She couldn't have gotten back to the house faster. She threw the door open and slammed it shut behind her before dashing to her room and doing the same thing to that door.

"Shit, shit, shit ,shit." She scolded herself while running her fingers through her hair in a panic.

She was already having a bad day when she had woken up on her bed completely naked. How could she have been so careless, especially when she was in a new place where things like her certainly did not exist? Then, there was that guy Derek. He had brought up the subject of werewolves. Had he seen her last night? Is that why he had asked her so many questions? Not only had he possibly seen her as the wolf, but he had found her cloak as well. God, she was so screwed. This was not what she needed right now. She had finally gotten to a place where no one knew anything about her and someone had possibly found out her biggest secret. What was she going to do now? Would Derek use it against her? Would he make her do things for him and in exchange he wouldn't tell anyone about her "condition"? She was going to have to pack up all of her things, quit her job, and find someplace else to go until she made enough money to get back home.

No. She was over thinking things. Maybe Derek was just curious as to why she moved. Beacon Hills seemed like a very small town, one where everyone knew everybody, so of course they would question it when someone knew arrived out of the blue. He was trying to mess with her when he mentioned the werewolves. He was being a perfect gentleman when handing her cloak back and she had run away like an idiot.

She paced around her room until she pulled out a change of clothes. She chose a pair of grey sweat pants and a white tank top. She then grabbed the cloak and sat on her bed with her knees brought up to her chest and the cloak wrapped around her. She wasn't taking any chances tonight. If he had really seen her he would be waiting outside to see her again. She wasn't going to let that happen.

A couple hours later when she was about to fall asleep, she heard Vivian come in through the front door. She hearsd scuffling outside her door and she prayed that she didn't come in to see her. Unfortunately there was a rap at the door. She was forced out of her cloak and strode over to open it.

"We're out of a couple things. Do you think you could run to the grocery store for me?" Vivian asked giving her a sweet smile.

This couldn't be happening. Her day just had to get worse. She was going to have to go out in public with her cloak on. Sure, she could control herself now, but when wolfs time came around it was kind of unpredictable and she certainly wasn't going to take any chances in this town. If they had legends about werewolves she really didn't want to know what the people that actually believed in that sort of thing did.

"Do you really need me to get these things tonight? I mean, I could run out and get them early tomorrow morning?" Ruby pleaded.

"I would really like to have these tonight if you don't mind." Vivian insisted.

Ruby reluctantly went over to her bed to grab her cloak and her purse. She threw her cloak on as she made her way to the door.

"It's actually quite humid outside. I really don't think you need to wear that heavy cloak." Vivian nagged.

"Oh I need it." Ruby mumbled so she wouldn't hear. "I'm more comfortable with it on. I'm sure I will be fine." She slipped on her boots and when she walked through the door into the dark, moonlit night, she realized it really was quite humid. God, this was going to suck.

"The grocery store is only a couple blocks down that way and it will be on your left." Vivian directed her.

Ruby nodded, taking in her instructions, and made her way down the street. She felt ridiculous walking around in her cloak, but she had no choice.

When she had made it to the grocery store everyone was staring at her. Great, the new girl was going to be seen as some weirdo that walked around in a red cloak at night. Little did they know she was doing this for their own good. She quickly made her way through the store, grabbing the milk, butter, eggs, and bread, tossing them into her basket. She used the self check out to avoid any human interaction and then rushed out of the store.

She was almost home when a figure emerged from behind the building in front of her. She nearly jumped out of her boots, but when the figure walked further into the light of the lamppost she saw who it was.

"Good god Derek, you could have given me a heart attack." She scolded him.

He almost looked offended by her comment, but she pushed her curiosity aside and continued walking towards the house.

"I'm sorry about scaring you earlier. I was just trying to help." He apologized.

He sounded sincere in his apology. Maybe she really was wrong about him.

"It's okay. I just had a long day and wanted to get home. You just caught me at an off moment." She explained.

He had caught up with her and they were walking side by side. She couldn't help but feel self conscious about her appearance with her cloak on.

"So, uh, what's with the cloak? I mean, I know it must be cold in Maine, but isn't that what heavy winter coats are for? Plus, this is California. You probably won't need to wear that anymore while you're here." He asked as though sensing her insecurity.

"It's a family heirloom. It's all I really have left of my family actually. I like to keep it close to me. It makes me feel safe." She told him. She knew it was a shit explanation, but she wasn't necessarily lying, she just wasn't telling him the complete truth.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to be rude. I was just curious." He apologized again.

"It's okay. I'm pretty sure most people tonight have thought stranger things about me when they saw me wearing this." She joked. He joined in on her laughter and she realized that she was back at the house. She went to walk inside when she heard him clear his throat behind her. She turned to see him rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot earlier today. Maybe I could make it up to you by taking you out for a drink after work tomorrow?" He asked hopefully.

She was a bit taken back by his suggestion. Maybe he hadn't found the cloak issue that odd. She wanted to tell him no. She wanted to tell him that she didn't want to get close to anyone while she was here because she wasn't planning on staying long. But she couldn't do it, something about him just told her to go for it. What was the problem with having a little fun while she was here right?

"That sounds like fun. Meet me here tomorrow night at 7." She informed him with a smile.

She saw the little smirk on his face and it made her blush.

"7, got it." He confirmed with a wave as he walked away.

Going to bed that night her mind wouldn't stop racing. Why on earth had she agreed to go out with him? It was only hours earlier that she was questioning if he had seen her as the wolf. Shouldn't she be weary of him? Maybe it was her subconscious following the whole "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" thing.

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He hadn't gotten the truth out of her yet, but tonight he was sure it was going to happen. Getting her drunk was his best chance of finding out who this girl really was. Last night just made him question her further. She was so stand-offish and when he had asked her about the cloak she seemed to have backed into the corner even more. Not tonight though, he was going to make sure the he got all the information out of her that he could.

He arrived at her house at 7 on the dot. What? He needed to be poignant if she was going to trust him. Standing outside he looked up at the moon. He was glad the full moon was over. Controlling the new pack members was a load of work.

He swiftly walked up to the door and gave it a solid knock. He waited several minutes until it was pulled open and Ruby was revealed from behind it. He had to clench his jaw to avoid it from dropping open at the sight in front of him. She stood there, hand on her hip no less, in a red bustier and a black ruffled miniskirt. She accentuated her long legs with a pair of red stilettos. She wore her hair down with big curls. The last thing he noticed was her plump lips that were covered in ruby red lipstick. Maybe this wasn't going to be as easy as he thought seeing as he couldn't even form words right now.

"Wow, right on time, how chivalrous." Ruby said, tilting her head and giving him a smirk.

Derek struggled to find words and when he did finally speak it didn't come out as confidently as he would have wanted it to.

"Uh, yeah, well I didn't make that great of a first impression so I tried to make a better second one." Derek replied.

He held out his hand so that he could help her down the steps and she took it gracefully. He led her to his black Charger and opened the door for her to get in. Once he had made it to the driver's seat she turned to him with a smile.

"You should know that you are doing an impressive job so far." She informed him flirtatiously with a wink.

"Good to know." He said giving her a toothy smile and then revving the engine playfully.

After they had pulled into the bar, Derek rushed over to open the car door for Ruby. He led her to the front door of the bar with his hand on her lower back. He pulled the door open and ushered for her to go inside. She thanked him for what seemed to be the thousandth time and gave him a slight curtsey. He would have found it odd if anyone else had done that, but with her, the action seemed to fit. He actually found it kind of cute.

When they sat down he ordered a glass of whiskey and she ordered a cranberry martini. The conversation flowed easily from there. He asked her about her trip across America. What was her favorite place that she had visited? Had she met any interesting people? How she like Beacon Hills so far.

She was about 3 drinks in, currently on her 4th, and he could tell she was already getting a drunk. Wow, he never would have pegged her as a light weight. He knew that this was the time to start asking the questions that he had brought her here to answer, but there was a part of him that wanted to ask her the stupid typical date questions, like, what her favorite movie was, or what she did in her spare time. He shook the thought from his mind and refocused on the questions that he had planned on asking in the first place.

"You said you're from Storybrooke Maine, I don't think I've ever heard of it." Derek said curiously.

She laughed at his statement and almost spilled her drink. She turned her head to face him and she had a smirk on her face.

"That's because it doesn't really exist." She whispered.

So he had been right about her lying about where she was from, but why? Was someone from her pack looking for her so she didn't trust telling someone else where she was really from? Was she afraid he would try and track her pack down? Well, he wouldn't know unless he actually asked these questions out loud.

"So you're telling me you lied yesterday? I guess I'm not the only one bad at making a good first impression." Derek retorted.

She huffed and tried to straighten up in her seat, well, as much as someone could with as much as she had to drink. She was obviously offended by his comment. She raised the hand that was holding her drink and she pointed a finger at him.

"Hey now, I didn't lie to you! It like really doesn't exist, well at least it didn't until 28 years ago. It wasn't even my choice to live there. That stupid bitch Regina had to be selfish…." Ruby rambled.

Derek had zoned out during her rambling. That question was obviously a dead end. Though, he assumed that whatever she was saying had to be interesting. He had to stop her story before it got too out of control.

"So, did anything happen in this place that doesn't really exist, like anything interesting or out of the ordinary?" He questioned.

Once again Ruby laughed out loud. Obviously she was a happy drunk.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She said.

Yes. He actually would like to know. He decided to rephrase his question so she would understand more clearly what he wanted her to tell him.

"What I mean, is did you see anything strange? Something people wouldn't believe you'd seen if you told them?" Derek asked more serious this time.

Derek saw the realization in her eyes.

"Actually, yes, I have seen something. It's probably one of the scariest things I have ever seen in my life." Ruby replied.

Score! Now he was getting somewhere. His questions were definitely about to be answered.

"I had just quit my job at Granny's diner. Oh Granny, I bet you she hates me," Ruby reminisced, a frown forming on her face. "You know, she hasn't called me once since I left. She's done so much for me…" She started rambling again.

If she kept going on these tangents Derek was going to get nowhere.

"Yes, Granny probably hates you. Can we get back to whatever scared you to death?" Derek demanded.

Ruby's mouth dropped in shock.

"Okay Mr. Pushy. Well, after I quit working for Granny I started working for the town sheriff Emma. Oh, Emma, I will have to tell you about her some other time. Trust me, you'll want to hear that story, it's a doozy. So anyways, this girl had gone missing in town and Emma had sent me into the woods to see if I could find anything that would lead us to whoever took her. I was down by the toll bridge when I saw something strange by the river bank. I went down there and dug in this one spot and guess what I found? A human heart! I nearly had a heart attack!"

That was definitely not the answer he had anticipated. Obviously this wasn't the way around getting the answers he wanted. Derek got up from his seat and went behind Ruby to help her out of hers.

"Alright, I think we've had enough for tonight. Let's get you home." Derek said.

"Don't tell me what to do. That's why I left Storybrooke in the first place. You know what? I'm going to call you Granny now, no wait, how about Grandpappy because you're a guy?" Ruby snorted.

Ruby brushed him off and attempted to get out of the seat herself, only to stumble over and almost fall on her face. Thankfully, Derek was there to catch her. He rolled his eyes at her comment. Yeah, this definitely wasn't a good idea.

He helped her safely get home and now they were standing outside her front door. She was completely drunk and Derek was having none of it. He was pissed. His night certainly had not gone how he planned and now he was back to square one. He left her at the steps and started walking back to his car when she reached out to stop him.

"Aren't you going to kiss me goodnight?" Ruby asked innocently.

He gaffed at her question. God she was drunk.

"You only kiss someone goodnight on a date and this was not a date." Derek said defiantly.

Ruby's mouth formed into a pout and she shook her head.

"Well you could have fooled me. You were ogling me all night to the point that you were almost drooling like a dog." She said.

He wasn't going to deny it. She was hot. There was no way he couldn't ogle her while she was dressed like that. He wasn't going to do anything though. She was drunk for goodness sake. He wasn't that kind of guy.

"Look, Ruby, tonight was…..tonight was interesting. I'll see you around." Derek told her as he tured to once again go to his car. She stopped him, again, but this time with more force. She spun him around and her lips crashed right onto his. He wanted to pull away, but he couldn't. Instead, his hand reached around and landed on the back of her neck, pulling her further into the kiss. He kissed her back fiercely, but then he regained his sense of reality. She was drunk, wasted even, he wasn't going to do this to her in her current state. If he was going to do this with her she was going to remember it. He literally had to force himself off of her.

"And I gotta say, that leather jacket makes you look incredibly sexy, though, that broody expression on your face does not." She giggled, running a finger across his lips.

"I gotta go. Goodnight Ruby." Derek said as he rushed to his car.

He looked out his window at her as he started the car. She looked heartbroken and it took everything he had not to get out of the car and rush up to kiss her again. What had he gotten himself into?

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**Thank you to everyone that is following this story. You give me inspiration to make this story worthwhile for you. Hopefully I don't disappoint. **


	5. A Foolproof Plan

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time**

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He hadn't seen Ruby in almost a week. He had been completely avoiding her, but it wasn't like he didn't have a reason not to. Everything he had tried so hard to build had basically all come tumbling down a couple nights ago. He had had a sure fire plan. He knew exactly how it was supposed to go down, but none of that happened. Everything had changed with just a blink of an eye. Once Jackson had attacked him he was completely powerless. Then Scott had gotten a hold of him and he knew something wasn't right. He had always sort of known that Scott was never really part of his pack, but he had at least thought he could trust him. Ever since he had overheard him talking to Gerard a couple nights ago at the police station he was skeptical, but he had always pushed those thoughts aside. Things had only gotten worse when he was forced to bite Gerard, but to his surprise, things changed again. The next thing he knew Gerard was spewing black liquid from his mouth and falling to his death because of the mountain ash Scott had put in his pills. As he had regained strength he knew it was his moment to take down Jackson, but once again, that didn't go as planned either. When Jackson lay dead on the ground his eyes suddenly sprang open and the rings around his pupils were blue. He had finally transformed into a werewolf.

Though things had worked out in the end, things hadn't gone to plan. He was disappointed in himself. He was an alpha. Things were supposed to go the way in which he intended them to. How was he supposed to prove to everyone that he could be a good alpha when he couldn't even execute his own plans correctly? Gerard had ended up disappearing, though everyone presumed that he was dead anyways, Derek had come home to a mark on his door signifying the arrival of a new pack; a pack of alphas, and Erica and Boyd were missing. He assumed that the alpha pack had gotten to them as a threat to him. The only good thing that had come out of all this was that the Argent's had seemed to have backed off a little. He hadn't seen them for days. Now that the alphas knew where he lived it wasn't safe for him to be there anymore. Where was he supposed to go? He could always stay in the warehouse with the rest of his pack, but he felt he needed a place to go just for himself.

All he had now were Isaac, Peter, and Jackson, though, with Jackson, he didn't know how long that loyalty would last. He had a strange feeling that Jackson would try to challenge him, but he wasn't too worried about it, not now at least. He hoped that he still had Scott, though not in his pack, but as an ally none the less. He had no idea what to expect with these alphas, but he knew it wouldn't be good. He needed all the help he could get. He hadn't run into them yet, but he knew they were around and a confrontation was eminent.

Though, through this entire ordeal, there was one thing that was always on his mind; Ruby. After that night at the bar she was constantly in his thoughts. It was because of that kiss. He should have never let it go that far. Once again, his plan had gone completely wrong and he had ended up confused and all out of sorts. He couldn't remember anything else from last night which sucked because it was possible that she could have given him at least a hint of what she was or why she was here, but no, all he could remember was the kiss. He couldn't stop thinking about how right it felt. How he had wanted to kiss her again that night, how he wanted to do it again right now. It shouldn't have happened and as of right now that's not what he should be thinking about.

That's one of the reasons he was going to see Dr. Deaton. Maybe talking about the alphas, Gerard, and the Argent's with him would get Ruby off of his mind. It was worth a shot right?

He was greeted my Dr. Deaton when he entered the Animal Clinic, dressed in a completely leather ensemble.

"You're not ditching us and joining a biker gang are you?" Derek questioned jokingly.

Dr. Deaton gave him a stern look. "No, I'm just getting back into the old family business." He replied.

Derek had no idea what he was talking about and he really didn't care.

"I don't know if you are aware, but a pack of alphas has come to town." Derek informed him.

He gave Derek a cocky smile. "Oh I'm completely aware of that Derek. I find it quite strange actually. After all my years I don't think I've ever seen a pack of just alphas. We should be very cautious about them. We don't know what they want, but I'm almost positive that it's not good." He warned him.

"I'm almost positive of that as well. Two of my pack members have already gone missing. I don't think that's a coincidence." Derek added.

Silence fell among them and in those few seconds of silence Derek's mind traveled back to that one thing that had been on his mind constantly these past few days. Maybe Dr. Deaton could help him with this?

"Dr. Deaton? You've tracked werewolves all over the country haven't you?" Derek asked receiving a nod in confirmation from Dr. Deaton. "I was wondering if you knew of any packs from the east, Maine to be more specific." Derek asked hopefully.

"I'm sure I've tracked some packs from there before, yes. Is there anyone in particular that you are looking for?" Dr. Deaton asked.

Well shit. What was he supposed to say. _"Yes actually, there is someone. She's this girl that just came to town and it's possible that I saw her in her wolf form, but I'm not entirely sure. I tried to get her to admit to it, but that ended in me kissing her and now I think I might actually have feelings for her. So do you know anyone named Ruby?" _Yeah, fat chance that was going to happen. Then he thought of something that could possibly narrow it down.

"Are any of them cult like. Do they were red ceremonial cloaks or anything?"

Dr. Deaton huffed in annoyance.

"Look Derek, I don't know if you think this is some sort of joke, but I'm not in the mood. I have to get going actually. Honestly, I've never heard of any pack like that, if you're being completely serious that is. I'm sorry I couldn't help." With that said, Derek was ushered out the door and was once again left with no answers. This trip had been a complete bust.

He made his way back to the warehouse with his head hung low. He wanted to be alone, but Isaac was there.

"Hey man. What's up? You seem extra broody today." Isaac observed.

He really wanted to tell Isaac to just fuck off and to go find something more important to do, but at the moment it probably wasn't a good idea to piss off one his remaining pack members. Perhaps Isaac could actually give some good insight into his situation.

"How do you get someone to trust you? Like, trust you so much that they will tell you anything and everything?" Derek asked.

He saw the smirk form on Isaac's face until he busted out laughing. "You, of all people, want to know how to get someone to trust you?" Isaac choked out. "You don't trust anyone. How can you expect anyone to trust you?" Isaac added seriously once the laughter had ceased.

Derek got up with a huff. He knew he shouldn't have even asked that question. Though Isaac was right, that really wasn't what he wanted to hear. It's not his fault he couldn't trust anyone. That was his problem and he had every reason to feel that way. He had begun to walk away, but Isaac called after him.

"Alright, sorry I laughed dude. Look, if you want someone to trust you enough to tell you anything then you have to really get to know them, gain their trust. It takes time. You have to show them that you really care about them." He told him sincerely.

He probably could have come up with that answer himself, it was completely obvious, but it wasn't something he had tried yet. He'd give Isaac that much.

"Is this like a Scott thing or something?" Isaac questioned in a concerned tone.

Derek had to roll his eyes at his question.

"No, this isn't a Scott thing. It's a personal thing." Derek responded. "Do you think you can handle being by yourself for a little while? I have to get out of here for a while, clear my mind."

Isaac gave him a nod. "Yeah, I'm good. Where are you going?"

"I'm just going for a drive." Derek said as he walked away.

Going for a drive always helped Derek gather his thoughts and relax, but not this time. He was still as restless as he was the night he got back from dropping Ruby off at her house. Seeing the sunset over the horizon made him immediately think of her, not like he wasn't already. He thought it was cute how amazed she was by it. He tried to put himself in her shoes and act like he was experiencing this sunset for the first time. It truly was mesmerizing. That's when he decided that he was going to act on Isaac's advice. He was going to actually get to know Ruby. He was going to try to forget that he had seen her that night on the full moon. He was going to act as though she really was the girl he had met at the diner. There was nothing different about her. This could be disastrous with the feelings he was having for her at the moment, but it was his last shot. He didn't give a damn and, in all reality, he really did want to get to know her, though, he would never admit to that.

He turned around and made his way back into town. He was really going to do this. Once he had made it to her front door and knocked on it there was no turning back.

The door opened slowly, but the person behind it was not who he was expecting.

"May I help you?" The old lady asked.

Derek rubbed his neck nervously. "Uh, yeah, I was wondering if Ruby was around."

He saw the woman's face fall, but he tried not to think too much of it.

"I'm sorry, but she doesn't live here anymore. She's gone."

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**Uh oh. Where did Ruby go? ;) Sorry this is such a short chapter. I guess it's more of a filler for what is going to come. **


	6. A Fresh Start

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time**

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This was all his fault. He had scared her away. He had been too forward and she felt the only way to get away from him was to actually leave. He was worried about her now. She had been working at the diner to make enough money so that she could get home. She couldn't possibly have made enough, so where was she now? Was she safe?

His mind switched to a different scenario. What if she had left because of the alphas? Did she know them? Was she part of their pack? Was she the pack she had been running from?

Then, his thoughts changed again. What if she had only come here to get information on him? She had just come, got what she needed from observing him, and left to tell the others in her pack.

All these thoughts were racing through his mind, but there was only one realization that really mattered; Ruby was gone. It didn't matter how or why, she was gone. Maybe it was for the best. He couldn't afford any distractions right now and she was a big one. Hopefully he could just forget about her and go back to the way things were, but somehow he didn't think it would be that easy.

* * *

Ruby woke up that morning to the sun shining on her face, lying in her own bed. She felt refreshed and practically giddy at this new start. She stretched her arms out and opened her mouth wide to release a yawn. When she got out of bed she padded her way over to the bathroom to take a shower. As the hot water ran down her body she thought about the past couple days. Her decision would seem rash to some people, but for her sake it needed to be done.

When she was out of the shower she walked to her things that she still hadn't unpacked to find her uniform. She was never a great packer so everything had been thrown together in her bag. She was ruffling through her things when she found it. The bright red short shorts, her white blouse with the puffy sleeves and lastly, the white apron. She rushed back into the bathroom to get ready. She was already running late, which she really shouldn't have allowed in her current situation. Once she was out the door she was walking as fast as possible. She waved and said hello to familiar faces as they passed by.

She made it to the diner only a couple minutes late which wasn't too bad, she hoped she didn't get into too much trouble. As people started filing in she saw the usual suspects take their seats at the bar.

She had just about served everyone in her section when out of the corner of her eye she saw someone take a seat at the far end of the bar. As she made her way down there she got distracted by a button that had come undone on her blouse. When did that happen? That really wasn't very professional. She hoped no one had noticed. That guy, Carl, had seemed extra smiley when she served him. Oh well, he better give a good tip after getting that show.

She fixed her shirt, fished the notebook out of her apron, and without looking up she asked the customer "What can I get you today?"

"Ruby?"

She knew who that voice belonged to. Her head shot up instantly and her eyes met his.

"Derek, long time no see. Is there anything I can get you?" She tried to keep her voice from wavering. She wanted to look strong in front of him. Not ashamed and embarrassed for the way she practically threw herself at him the other night. She didn't remember much from that night, but she did remember mauling him with her lips, but if her memory served her right, she also remembered him kissing her back. She wasn't completely at fault then, right?

He had this weird expression on his face. Almost like he was relieved to see her, which didn't make any sense because she hadn't seen him in days and she's pretty sure that he wanted it that way.

"I went to your house last night and the old lady said you weren't there, that you had left. I thought you had completely left town, but you're still here. Where did you go?" The words were spilling out of his mouth so fast she almost didn't catch all of it. He sounded all panicky, like he was worried about her. Wait, was he worried about her?

"I decided to get my own place. I found a nice apartment a couple blocks from here, just another thing to check off my list for this adventure." She told him.

His expression changed from confused to calm. A smile even formed on his face and he let out a relieving sigh.

"Good for you." He said with a smile.

She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face or the blush that crept onto her cheeks.

"Wait. Were you worried about me or something?" She asked coyly. She couldn't help but ask. She had to know.

He rubbed his neck and licked his lips nervously.

Ah ha! She knew it! He had been worried about her. But why should she care? After all, this guy had allowed her to get completely dunk, kissed her, and then hadn't spoken to her for days. She wasn't thinking about that though. All she could think about was that he really cared. She realized she was fiddling with her apron in anticipation and she instantly stopped. She placed both hands on her hips and stood up straight. She had to seem confident not anxious.

"Well, you said that you were working to get enough money to make your way back home and with you not being her that long I only assumed you hadn't made that much. I just didn't know if you had a place to go or not, that's all."

He sounded so concerned. Her heart swelled with happiness. He hadn't outright told her that he had been worried, but she would take it.

"Thank you for your concern. I just felt like I needed a place of my own. I couldn't really be myself living with someone else, especially someone like Vivian. Let's just say we don't share the same morals." She said with a wink.

He told her that he wanted coffee, black, just like last time. She got it to him in record time. There's something else she needs to say to him before they can move on to anything else, well, if there is anything to move on to. She hoped there was.

"About the other night," She said nervously. She started fiddling with her apron again and tried to avert his gaze, but her eyes were pulled to his anyways. "I'm sorry for jumping you like that. That was so rude of me. I never act like that I swear. To make it up to you, the coffee is on me."

She waited for him to say something, but he was completely silent. She took that as her queue to leave, but when she started to walk away he grabbed her hand. She looked back at him and she didn't even know how to describe the look on his face. He looked so sad and sorry, but at the same time he also looked happy and a tad confused.

"No, it's my fault. I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have never let you drink that much and if it makes you feel any better, the whole jumping me thing was kind of sexy." He said with a smirk.

She tried not to look too excited by his last comment, but Derek calling her sexy made her feel like she had butterflies in her stomach. She was brought back to reality when he started speaking again.

"Forget the first impression and the second first impression. I'm not even going to try for a third. Let's just make a fresh start instead." He suggested.

"A fresh start huh? I like that idea." She agreed with a smile.

He held out his hand for her to shake and she took it.

"Hi, I'm Derek."

She giggled because this all seems so ridiculous and silly, but she went along with it anyways.

"Hi Derek, I'm Ruby."

Their fresh start goes swimmingly. Derek stayed in his spot at the bar the entire day, he even ended up walking home with her. They talked about all different kinds of things. Favorite books, favorite foods, favorite movies (she let the Ruby side of her tell him that one, the Red side of her has never experienced actually seeing one in a movie theater, though she would like to). Unlike last time, he didn't ask her about her personal life and in return she didn't ask him.

He shows up at the diner almost every day, whether it's at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, when she's working that is. If he wasn't at the diner he usually showed up at her apartment when she got home.

They see a lot of each other outside of her work and home as well. They go out for dinner when she's not working, nothing fancy, just casual places. They've gone out hiking a couple times so that Derek could show her how beautiful California was. She got a few bumps and bruises along the way, but it truly was a sight to be seen.

He took her bowling once. She really didn't understand how rolling a heavy ball towards 10 pins to knock them over was considered fun, but after a few tries, with the help of Derek of course, she actually enjoyed it. She lost, but Derek took them out for drinks to make it up to her. She only drank 2 cranberry martinis. That was her limit. No repeats of last time.

On the nights she was exhausted from work, they ordered take out and watched movies or T.V. at her apartment. At some point she realized that they were always at her place. He had never invited her over to his and that concerned her. She never brought it up because they didn't talk about personal things, but it bothered her none the less.

There were nights where they didn't see each other at all though; the nights around a full moon. There was never really a spoken agreement to this. She just didn't see him those nights, but she wasn't really complaining. She didn't want him to see her all bundled up in her red cloak like some freak. She just wondered what he was doing on those nights. Did he really believe in those legends about werewolves in this town? She never took him for a superstitious person, but people can surprise you sometimes.

On those nights, when she was curled up in her cloak, lying on the coach watching whatever was on T.V. that night, all alone, she felt guilty. Guilty for not telling him the truth, the truth about who she really is, where she's really from, and what she can turn into at will and around the full moon. There were so many times when they were just sitting next to one another, not speaking, the T.V. wasn't on, and she just felt the urge to tell him, but she was scared. Scared about the possibility of him running out on her, calling her a freak, thinking she was utterly insane. That's what stopped her dead in her tracks every single time. She couldn't lose Derek. He's the one person that she has here, the only person. She couldn't lose that.

When they reunited after those days surrounding the full moon she felt easier. She forgot about everything that she was hiding from him. She didn't feel guilty, she just felt happy that she was able to see him again. They were almost inseparable those first days back together, spending every minute together as if time was running out.

She was delighted when he brought up the idea of introducing her to his friends. She suggested that he invite them over to her place. She needed an excuse to host a party. She has always wanted to do that. They came around a few days later and she greeted them happily, a beaming smile on her face as she ushered them into her home. She remembered Stiles and Scott from the diner that first day she met Derek. She laughed at everything Stiles said and she noticed that Scott isn't the brightest crayon in the box. Isaac sat quietly, observing the interactions going on around him. She figured he was just shy and that he would come around at some point. Jackson was very charming, although, he seemed a little full of himself at times. Lastly there was Peter. Derek introduced him as his uncle. Ruby was ecstatic. She had finally met someone from Derek's family! She could see the family resemblance physically as well as in their behavior, though there was something slightly off about Peter that she couldn't put her finger on. Her party went off without a hitch and she was positive that she had gotten a few new friends out of it. She did notice the awkward stares from them at times though. It was almost like they knew who she really was, like they knew the secret she was hiding. She simply brushed off that thought. They were probably just judging her, seeing if she was good enough for Derek, which she felt she was.

One day everything changed. She and Derek are in the woods watching the sunset. He was sitting there with his legs stretched out in front of him and his arms behind him, supporting his position. She was curled at his side with her head resting on his shoulders.

They did this a lot. It was one her favorite things to do with him. She tilted her head to look at him and she was surprised to see him looking right back at her. There was something in his eyes, something she had never seen before; a wanting. She wasn't not sure how it happened, but he kissed her. Or did she kiss him? Actually, it was as if they met in the middle. Their lips stayed pressed together for a couple seconds and then she felt him pull away.

"What was that for?" She asked shyly.

"I wanted a do over." He said with a smile.

They did that a lot now, kiss that is. Sometimes it was like the one in the woods during the sunset, short and sweet, but sometimes it was different, more intense. As soon as they started they couldn't stop. It was filled with so much passion. They always broke apart, breathing heavily, but then they just dove back in.

She wanted to feel guilty about kissing Derek for Peter's sake, but she didn't. She felt no remorse when she kissed Derek. Peter had been the only boy she had ever kissed, the only the boy she had ever loved. She had planned on running away with him. They would have been together and they would have probably started a family one day, but because of her that would never happen. She started to get those feelings again when she was with Derek. She couldn't help it. He just made her feel so special.

He called her one night and asked if she wanted to go to dinner with him. She quickly replied with a yes, practically screamed it, and he told her to dress in one of her nicer outfits. He picked her up in his Charger, wearing what looked like a very pricey suit. He took her some place different, not one of their usual restaurants. No, this one is much fancier. She had no idea what this meant, but everything just felt so serious. Half way through the dinner she couldn't take it anymore. She had to know what was really going on because it was just too different. She was about to say something when Derek grabbed a hold of her hand from across the table and held it gently in his.

"I know you must be wondering why we're at such a fancy place?" He said it like he had just read her mind.

She couldn't really speak so she just nodded her head.

"I can't hold back any longer Ruby. All my life I've shut people out. I haven't been close to someone in years, not the way that I'm close to you. You're so special to me Ruby and I want you to know that. I haven't done this in so long so I might be a little rusty, but, I wanted to know if you would be my girlfriend."

She was absolutely floored by his question. They sat in silence as he waited for her answer. She knew she had to answer soon, she couldn't let him squirm like that, it was too cruel, but the words just couldn't seem to come out of her mouth. She had to settle for nodding yes profusely, tears forming in her eyes. He pulled her to him and planted a gently yet forceful kiss onto her lips. They had smiles planted on their faces for the rest of the night.

He spent a lot more time at her place now and due to the fact the she had never seen his, it made her wonder if he really did have a place to stay. She was scared to ask him, but she knew she'd never get anywhere if she just ignored it. She asked him one day when she was curled into him on the couch watching T.V.

"You know Derek, you spend so much time her I wonder why you've never asked if you could just move in?"

His eyes grew wide and she feared that maybe she had said too much.

"Are you saying that you want me too?" She could hear the nervousness in his voice.

"I mean, sure, but only if you want to." She told him reassuringly.

"I'll get my stuff together and bring it tomorrow." He said with a smile. She could tell how excited he is. He looked like a child on Christmas with that smile on his face.

She helped him move in the next day. Her place seemed more complete now with all of his things. As she walked through the house checking to make sure everything was in its place she realized something. She couldn't hide anymore. When the time of the full moon comes around he was going to see her wrapped in her red cloak at night. She started to panic. Had she just made a huge mistake? Sure, he'd seen her in it before, but she had been walking outside at night, that's pretty much a normal place to see someone all bundled up even if they were in a cloak, but walking around the house and sleeping with it on, well that was completely different. There was no way out of this. She was going to have to tell him the truth. She was going to have to come clean. It was finally time to tell Derek about Red Riding Hood and the wolf.

* * *

**Oh boy. Are you guys ready to see how Derek will react to Ruby's confession? **


	7. Her Twisted Fairytale

**Sorry making you guys wait this long for the big reveal, I just moved into my dorm, which is awesome by the way. So much better than the one I had last year. **

**So without further or do, here's Ruby's big reveal  
**

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time  
**

* * *

He couldn't believe it. Derek "never trust or let anyone in" Hale was in a committed relationship. He refused to let it happen after that Argent bitch Kate betrayed him, but somehow Ruby had weaseled her way into his heart and he wouldn't trade it for the world. Everything was going great in his life at this moment. The alphas hadn't shown up or even made their presence known, his pack was getting along great, and the Argent's hadn't shot a single arrow at him in months.

The only thing that was bothering him was that he had yet to tell Ruby that he was a werewolf. They were living together now; he still couldn't get his head wrapped around that reality, and it was kind of unavoidable, but how was he supposed to tell her? _So, since we're living together now, I think you should know that I turn into a wolf on every full moon. I can also turn into one on my own will or if I get really angry. So, what's for dinner? _Yeah, that would go great. But then he thought about the fact she was a werewolf too, or at least something like that. He had to tell her soon. The full moon was coming up in a few days and he had to prepare her for it.

He was going to tell her tonight. He cooked a special dinner to celebrate him moving in. He had it all set up by the time she had gotten home; candles lit, a vase of red roses in the middle of the table, and glasses of wine had been poured and placed at their seats. He was still at the stove when she came through the door.

"What's going on here?" Ruby asked curiously as she observed the scene he had set up.

"Oh you know, just celebrating the fact that I'm all moved in." He informed her with a smile.

She sauntered over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"This looks great baby. I'm going to go change and I'll be right out okay?" She gave him another quick kiss and then skipped off to their room.

Their room, he still couldn't believe it. If you had asked him if his life was going to be like this a few months back he would have laughed right in your face, but now he couldn't see it being any different. He loved Ruby and he was going to tell her that tonight, along with everything else about him, no more hiding.

She emerged from the room a couple minutes later wearing a tight black dress and heels to match. She was so beautiful to him. They hadn't gotten that far physically in their relationship, but he could care less. Just spending time with her was enough for him.

He pulled out the chair for her to sit and he placed the plate of food in front of her. He settled in the seat across from her and they began a conversation about her day.

After their delicious dinner, as Ruby had told Derek, they curled up on the coach and sipped on their wine. Derek grabbed the glass from her, set both chalices on the coffee table in front of them, and took her hands in his. He noticed that she had been acting a little strange all night, but he chalked it up to her having him in her place now and brushed it off as nothing to worry about.

Their eyes met and he felt a surge of confidence. It was do or die. Unfortunately, tears started streaming down her cheeks. That's not the reaction he was expecting from this night. What had he done wrong? He hadn't even said anything and she was already crying.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Derek asked, using his thumb to wipe away the tear on the cheek.

She took a few breaths to settle her nerves. "Derek, there's something that I have to tell you."

Her statement scared him. She couldn't tell him she loved him before he did, he wouldn't accept it.

"Can it wait? I have something really important that I wanted to tell you first." He pleaded.

She bit down on her lip and shook her head. "No it can't. I have to tell you this now before I chicken out. You have to promise me that you will listen to everything I say and not say a word until I'm finished."

He could only give her a nod in response. Whatever this is that she had to tell him he felt it wasn't going to be good.

She took another deep breath before she began speaking.

"I know I've told you several times that I'm from a place called Storybrooke in Maine and that's true. In this world I really am from Storybrooke, but that's not where I'm really from."

Wait? Did she just say this world? Where the hell was she going with this?

"I'm from another world completely, one that is filled with fairytale characters as your world would call it. We were sent here by the evil queen Regina because she was angry with Snow White. She used a spell conjured up by Rumpelstiltskin that forced us into this world with no magic and no idea of who we really were. We were stuck like that for 28 years until Prince Charming and Snow Whites' daughter, Emma, came to Storybrooke and broke the curse. I was so terrified when I realized that I was stuck here. I ran away. That's the only thing I felt I could do."

Derek didn't even know how to comprehend what she had just told him. Was she serious? Was she fucking serious?

"Do you want to know which fairytale character I am?" She asked with a playful smirk.

He decided to just go along with it and nodded his head.

"I'm Red Riding Hood, but there's a twist that's not in your stories. I turn into a wolf around the full moon and I can also turn into one at will. And that red cloak you've seen me wearing, it's laced with magic which prevents me from turning into the wolf. Isn't that crazy?" Her last question seemed to be pointed at herself. Like she knew that whatever she was telling him was insane. It also sounded like she wanted him to not think it was outlandish, to actually believe what she was telling him.

Derek had no idea what to think. His girlfriend had just told him that she was Red fucking Riding Hood. Well that would explain the cloak and now he knew that she was that wolf that he saw in the woods. He would be able to handle this if she was just a werewolf like him, but she seemed to have created this whole other excuse for why she is the way she is.

"Derek? Baby, did you hear what I said?" She panicked.

He let go of her hands and stood up from the coach. He ran his hands over his face in frustration. This was insane, she was insane, certifiable even.

"Are you fucking joking? Is this a fucking joke Ruby?" Derek demanded.

Ruby got up to join him. She tried to hold his hand, but he ripped it away from her.

"I know it's hard to take all of this in, but you have to believe me Derek. I would never lie to you. I've been feeling so guilty lately that I hadn't told you yet. I just felt like it was time for you to know the truth." She pleaded.

He wanted to believe her, he really did, but how was he supposed to believe that she was from a different world full of fairytale characters and that she was really Red Riding Hood.

He didn't say a word, he couldn't. He just walked right past her towards the door and walked out. He heard her calling after him, her voice broken in sobs, but he didn't stop walking. He got in his car and she was still following him. She banged on the window begging him not to go, but he started the car and sped away without looking back.

He really knew how to pick them. First a crazy bitch who's family hunted his and burned down his house along with most of his family hoping that he was in there as well, and now a girl who thought she was a fairytale character.

He didn't go back for days. He watched her from a far. Sometimes when she was at work and sometimes when she was at home. He could tell that she was aching inside. She tried to put on a smile for the other customers, but he could see right through it. Her eyes were all puffy from crying, she actually wore her uniform the way it was supposed to be worn, and she even had sneakers on. She didn't skip around the diner like she usually did.

He felt awful, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't face her, not yet.

He was standing outside of the diner when he saw a familiar jeep drive up. He wanted to get away before Stiles noticed him, but it was too late.

"Hey man, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside being all lovey-dovey with your girlfriend?" Stiles teased him.

Derek gave him an evil glare. "We got in a fight."

"Don't tell me, was it because she made you smile? Damn her!" Stiles' teasingly continued.

"Ha ha very funny," Derek punched Stiles in the arm and he winced in pain. "No, she just told me something that I found hard to believe. I haven't talked to her for days."

Stiles didn't look to happy when he heard they hadn't talked in days. He moved to put a hand on Derek's shoulder, but he recoiled when Derek glared at him again.

"Look man, I've never seen you this happy and if she's the one that made you this way then I think you two should work this out." Stiles told him.

"It's not that simple." Derek responded.

"Love isn't simple dude, but if you really love her, which I think that you do, and she loves you, then she wouldn't lie to you and you should believe everything she says."

Derek didn't say anything.

Stiles turned, realizing the conversation was over, to go into the restaurant, but before he did he whipped back around.

"Hey, be careful tonight. Scott told me that he's noticed the Argent's are getting their stuff together to get back out there. He thinks they might be out there tonight." Stiles warned him.

Great, that's just what he needed right now. He should have been worried about making sure his pack members stayed in tonight, but all he could think about was Ruby. Should he tell her? No, probably not. She didn't really go out at night unless she was with him. Plus, she had that cloak thing and if what she told him was true he had nothing to worry about.

Later that night, he was getting everything ready so that Jackson and Isaac would stay put in the warehouse when he heard a howl that he hadn't heard in months. He knew exactly who it was.

"Shit." He muttered to himself. "Isaac, I'm going to need you to take over from here. I have to go do something."

Isaac gave him a panicked look.

"Dude, the Argent's are out there tonight. Are you sure that's a good idea?" Isaac questioned.

"I don't really have a choice on this one Isaac. So you're taking over, got it?" Derek demanded.

Isaac just nodded and went along with chaining him and Jackson up.

How could she have let this happen? He knew how. It was because of him. She wasn't being herself because of what he had done. The approaching full moon had probably been the last thing on her mind after he had left.

He pulled up to her house and pulled out the key he had made the day he had officially moved in. When he walked into the apartment it was pitch black.

"Ruby?" He called out for her, but got no answer.

When he checked her room she wasn't in her bed and there was glass all over the floor where it looked like the window had been broken through.

"God dammit Ruby."

He searched the room for her cloak. He knew it was crazy, but if what she said was true it was the only chance she had. He wasn't sure how much control she had in her wolf form, but he wasn't taking any chances with the Argent's being out there tonight.

He decided it would be safer to get to her on foot so he switched into his wolf form, gripped the cloak by his teeth, and sprinted towards the direction of her howl. It sounded just as pained as when he heard it the first time, maybe even worse. But this time he knew why. It was because of him and that broke his heart. His heart practically cracked in two when he heard what sounded like a gun shot. He sprinted faster until he came upon the scene of a giant wolf surrounded by the Argent's and their hunting companions. He busted through the circle of hunters and tossed the red cloak onto the wolf. If this worked he was going to have a lot of apologizing to do.

Once the cloak had settled on the ground Derek crept towards it and peeked under the hood. He saw a mess of brown curls along with Ruby's fluttering eyes.

"Holy shit." Derek muttered in amazement. It worked, it actually worked. She had been telling the truth and he felt like an idiot.

He also noticed that she was completely naked underneath the cloak so he made sure to wrap her up tight. He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Chris, Allison, and the other hunters just stood there, mouths agape in utter astonishment.

"Derek, what the hell was that? Who is she?" Chris asked.

Derek stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Chris.

"You'll forget what you just saw. She means no harm to any of you. If you see her around town you won't acknowledge her or mention this to her." Derek threatened them.

Once they had all nodded in agreement he continued the walk back to her place. He felt her stirring in his arms and her big green eyes. She looked so frightened.

"Derek?" She was slowly coming out of her haze and she realized she was completely naked and wrapped in her cloak. "Oh my god," She said embarrassed.

"Shhhh," He shushed her, trying to get her to calm down. "We'll talk about this when you're safely inside."

Once they were inside he went straight to her room and placed her gently on her bed. She quickly scooted back so she could sit up against the head board and she pulled the cloak even tighter around her body. He joined her on the bed, though, he didn't sit too close. He didn't know how she felt about him right now and he didn't want to push it. He opted to sit in the middle facing her.

"Ruby, I'm so sorry I didn't believe you. I have some things happen to me in the past, things done by people I really cared about, that made it really hard for me to trust anyone. I should never have left the other night. I should have stayed and talked to you about it. But you can't blame me for how I reacted. I mean, what you told me is pretty farfetched. You told me you are a fairytale character for god sakes and a wolf on top of that. But I love you so I have to trust that whatever you tell me is the truth." He hoped that was a good enough apology.

"You love me?"

Had he really just said that? He hadn't realized that he had, it just sort of slipped out, but that didn't make it any less true. He meant it and now that it was said he wasn't taking it back.

Before he could register what was going on, Ruby surged forward, grabbed his face in her hands, and kissed him urgently.

"Oh Derek, I love you too. I shouldn't have expected you to be so accepting when I unloaded it on you the other night. It took Emma several months before she had finally accepted the truth."

"Emma?" Derek asked confused.

"Snow White and Prince Charmings' daughter, you know, the only one who broke the curse?" She stated as though he should already know this.

"Oh right."

"How did you know I was out there?" She asked him.

Crap. It was his turn to come clean.

"Ruby, there's something you should know about me. I'm a wolf too, well not the same kind of wolf as you, but a werewolf. I turn on a full moon and can turn at will just like you."

He wasn't worried about her not believing him. She had to based on her situation. He saw her mouth curl into a smile and the sparkle return to her eyes.

"I had no idea there were others like me, especially in this world." She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

He couldn't help but smile at her reaction.

"Oh yeah, and I'm not the only one. Scott, Isaac, Peter, and Jackson are werewolves too, along with several others all around the world."

Her eyes grew even wider at his confession. She must have felt so relieved to know that she wasn't alone. He hated to have to go to the less joyful side of this conversation, but it had to be done.

"But Ruby, there are people here that don't like our kind. They hunt us and kill us. I saved you from some hunters tonight. You have to be more careful." He coddled her.

"Oh, I've dealt with plenty of hunters before Derek, no need to worry about me." She chastised him.

"Well, judging by the setting of your fairytale I don't believe those hunters had the advanced weapons that these ones do. Am I right?"

She slumped down at his statement.

"I guess you're right. I'm usually very good at wearing my cloak around the full moon, but lately I've been kind of….out of sorts."

He grabbed her and pulled her closer to him so that her head was resting on his chest.

"I know and I'm sorry. That's all my fault and if you forgive me I promise to be here every time a full moon comes around to remind you." He said hopefully.

She looked up at him as though she was offended by his comment.

"Of course I forgive you Derek. It's not easy to understand and accept a situation like mine, though, I'm sure you're used to that." She said with a giggle.

He maneuvered them so that they were lying down at the top of the bed with Ruby lying slightly on top of him. She rest her chin on his chest and looked up at him.

"So you love me huh?"

Now she was just teasing him.

"Yes I do." He confirmed.

"Good, because I love you too and I have no idea what I would do without you." She leaned forward and gave him a kiss. He felt her pulling away and he had to stop her. He hadn't kissed her in so long and he didn't want to stop. She took the hint and continued, slowly crawling further on top of him to the point where she is basically straddling him. Their kisses are getting frantic and his lips slowly moved down her jaw to her neck. His tongue slid across her pulse point and she let out a soft moan. He felt her fingers work their way under his shirt and he didn't hesitate to pull it off. It isn't long until he was down to his boxers and she still had her cloak on. He looked into her eyes and he could tell she was scared.

"Ruby, are you sure you want to do this?"

A small smile formed on her face and his heart started beating a little faster.

"I know that in my world it's a bit taboo to sleep with someone before you're married, but here it's a culturally accepted thing, and I want to. So yes, I'm sure."

That's all he needed to hear, so he attached his lips to her neck again and slowly worked the cloak off of her body. He stared at her in complete awe when she was naked on top of him. He started to kiss down her shoulder when she spoke up again.

"Derek, you should know that I've never done this before. I mean, I've had a boyfriend before, but we never got any farther than kissing." She told him shyly.

"What happened to him?"

He saw her gulp and the scared expression returned to her face.

"It was before I knew that I was a wolf, you see, I thought it was him, so I chained him to a tree to make sure he wouldn't harm anyone once he turned, but as you know, it wasn't him. I'm the wolf and I….I…."

Derek was afraid of where this was going.

"I ate him."

Wow. He was not expecting that.

"I know that sounds scary, but I know how to control it and I promise I won't do that to you."

He was almost too terrified to continue, but he had promised her that he would trust her and believe everything she said so there really was no need to worry.

"So that being said, please be gentle."

He just nodded his head in understanding and she helped him remove the last article of clothing he had on.

He kept his word and was extremely gentle with her. She had never felt more connected or more loved by anyone else than she had at that moment.

When it was all over, Derek had collapsed on his stomach and Ruby was lying beside him slowly tracing the tattoo on his back.

"What does your tattoo mean?" She asked curiously.

"It represents a cycle. For me it's alpha, beta, and omega. It's a reminder that anyone of them could take place of the other. I'm an alpha, but I can easily slip to a beta or even an omega as well as the others rising to alpha status."

She was quite for a moment and he turned his body to look at her.

"Maybe I should get one like that. Definitely not as big as yours, maybe a small one on my wrist or behind my ear, but it could represent the three different sides of me. I may be Ruby now, but I can also be Red, and when I want to be I can be a wolf as well."

He smiled at this idea. What was he going to do with this girl?

"Whatever you want babe." He told her.

He felt her slip from him and instantly missed her body snug against his.

"Where are you going?" He asked confused.

She had gone to grab the cloak that he had tossed to the ground and pulled it on. He frowned at the loss of the sight of her naked body.

"I know you would love to have my naked body pressed up against you for the rest of the night, but I'm doing exactly what you told me to. Don't worry, I only have to do this for a couple nights every month and on the other days I can be on you naked all the time." She informed him with a reassuring smile.

He opened his arms to her and she returned to her position, curled into his side. He kissed her forehead and stroked her hair.

"I don't really care about that. Just as long as I'm here with you I'm happy."

He didn't fall asleep, but he could tell by her breathing that she had. He hadn't stopped running his fingers through her hair and he didn't plan on it. He wanted this moment to last forever and for right now it would, but at some point it would end. When Ruby had to get up tomorrow for work or when he had to go check on Isaac and Jackson to make sure everything went okay. But he knew that there would be plenty more of these moments to come and he honestly couldn't wait for them.

* * *

**The story is not over yet people get ready for some more drama ;)**


	8. Meeting Red Riding Hood

**I know I promised drama, but I decided to add a bit of happiness before things got serious again. I hope you enjoy it :)**

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time  
**

* * *

Ruby shifted in her sleep and she felt a large arm grip her tighter around her waist. Her eyes slowly drifted open as she took in the sight of Derek's sleeping face right above her. Her arm was thrown across his chest while her legs were tangled among his. A sheet was covering him from the waist down while Ruby still had her cloak draped over her body.

Her mind drifted off to thoughts of the events from last night. Derek had come back, probably in the most romantic way ever, by saving her life. It had only gotten better when Derek told her he had accepted the fact that she was really Red Riding Hood and he even revealed his own secret to her. He was a werewolf. She wasn't alone in the world anymore. She had someone else like her, multiple people in fact. She hoped Derek's friends would be as accepting as he was now.

As if sensing that she was thinking about him, Derek stirred and grumbled beneath her. She scooted closer to his face and he nuzzled his face in her neck.

"Mmm….good morning." He mumbled. He kissed her neck and slowly made his way to her temple.

"Morning." She giggled back. Her laughter was muffled by his lips joining hers. He rolled them over so that she was beneath him. His kisses move down again towards her collar bone. He sucked on that spot and she released a soft moan. He stopped and she was instantly disappointed.

"I would love to continue this, but uh, last night we used the only protection I have."

Her cheeks turned red and she pulled the sheet to cover her face. He laughed at her embarrassment and kissed the top of her head.

"I can, uh, go get some more when you're at work I guess." He suggested.

She still found the situation embarrassing, even after what had happened last night. She couldn't find words to describe the experience. It just felt right and she would never regret it.

"Well actually, Vivian noticed how down I was these past couple of days so she gave me the day off today. We can spend the whole day together." She said with a smile.

He was lying down beside her now with his head propped up on his hand. He looked shocked and happy to hear that. He pulled her to his chest and she nestled in. She could stay like this forever. She felt like they were in their own little bubble at this moment. As if nothing could touch them, but once they left this spot the bubble would burst. She didn't know what would happen then. She just wanted to savor this moment for a few more minutes until they were forced to face reality.

"Well I guess we better get going." He said enthusiastically.

He got out of bed and she blushed at his naked form. Even after last night she doesn't think she will ever be used to that sight.

"Why are you in such a hurry? We have all day."

She joined him in getting out of bed, but she made sure the cloak was still covering her body. He may be comfortable with being naked in front of her, but she wasn't quite there yet. She shuffled over to him at their closet and joined him in picking out clothes.

"There's something I want to show you so hurry up and get dressed." He said with a smile.

She had no idea what had gotten into him, but she wasn't complaining. She loved when Derek was happy. It made her happy. Seeing the joy on his face just brightened her day. She wanted to take a shower to wash up from last night, but Derek seemed so eager to go out that she knew it wasn't an option. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun, threw on a set of sweats, and a pair of boots. He was already in the car and had it started by the time she was dressed. Whatever he wanted to show her he sure was excited about it. Their hands found each other during the long ride through the woods. He gave her hand a quick squeeze as the pulled up to what looked like an abandoned mansion. There was something about this place that made her feel uneasy. She looked at Derek for some sort of explanation, but stopped when she saw the saddened and pained look on his face. This place meant something to him, she could tell. Was this his home at one point? Is this why she had never been to his place, because it wasn't really a place to begin with?

"Where are we Derek?"

He didn't answer her as he got out of the car. He walked over to her side to let her out and she took his hand when he offered it to her. She marveled at the building in front of them as they wandered closer.

"This is my home or it was at one time. It was almost burned down a couple years back." He told her.

"Were you home when it happened?"

"No, I was at school and so was my sister, but the rest of my family was. Only 1 of them survived; my uncle Peter. Everyone else died and it was my fault." He wouldn't look at her when he was saying this, but from the sound of his voice she could tell he was in pain. "You know how I told you about the Argent's, the hunters that I saved you from the other night?" She nodded and he continued. "It was one of them that did it. Kate Argent. I had fallen in love with her and she had betrayed me. I didn't know they were hunters at the time, I hadn't even told her about my family, how we were all werewolves, but she knew. She hired some thugs to burn the house down with all of us in it. She paid for what she did a while ago, my uncle killed her, but I was still hurt. That's why it was so hard for me to believe you. I had been betrayed in the worse way possible and it just made it difficult for me to trust anyone afterwards. But I trust you Ruby, I believe you, you have to know that."

She had started tearing up during his story. It was so awful what that girl had done to him, what he had experienced. No one should have to experience that.

"I'm so sorry Derek. No one should have to lose their loved ones. I should know. I lost both of my parents as well. I actually never knew my father, I think once he found out what my mother was he fled. My mother was killed by hunters as well, it was during moons time and even though she was in her wolf form, she couldn't fight them off. I ended up living with my grandmother and that's where I've been ever since, well until now of course."

He looked at her with understanding. They had shared so much now, it was almost surreal. He pulled her to him and they stood there in each others arms for what felt like hours. Derek kissed her forehead and motioned for them to get back to the car.

"I should probably check on the others, do want me to drop you off back at home, it won't take long?"

"No, I want to come with you, I feel like I should get to know this side of you."

He smiled at her suggestion and started to head towards the warehouse. Isaac was the only one there. Jackson must have gone home earlier this morning. Isaac told him that the night went fine, Jackson almost got free, but Isaac had held him off. He told Isaac to contact everyone to tell them to all come to the warehouse. Ruby didn't understand what was going on so she just sat back and observed. All the others showed up one by one. First was Jackson, there was a girl with him. She was gorgeous with long red hair and big full lips. She must have been Jackson's girlfriend, which Derek confirmed and told her that her name was Lydia. Next there was Scott and Stiles. Then last was Peter. They all greeted her with a wave and a hello to which she returned. They were all getting settled in when Derek waved her over to stand by him.

"As you all know this is my girlfriend Ruby and I think you all should know that she knows about us. There's no need to worry you can trust her because, well, she's not so different from us actually."

All of them looked confused, well all of them except Stiles and Scott. They didn't look shocked by Derek's confession, had he already told them?

"Do you want to tell them or should I?"

Ruby stepped forward signaling that she would like to speak.

"It's true, I know about you guys and I promise that I won't say a word to anyone because, well, I know what it's like. I'm a wolf too."

"Awesome, and here I thought there was going to be another girl in the group that I could actually associate with." Lydia sneered.

Lydia's comment hurt Ruby. Seeing another girl in this group had made Ruby feel not so alone, but the fact that Lydia wasn't happy with Ruby being like the others made her feel unwelcome around her. She just had to brush past it and continue with her story.

"Well, Lydia, I will have you know that I'm not exactly the same as all the others. I'm a different kind of wolf because, well, I'm not from this world."

That definitely took everyone by surprise. She felt Derek come up behind her and place a hand on her shoulder. She continued to explain to all of them her situation; the evil queen, the curse, all the other fairy tales, and the fact that she was Red Riding Hood. No one said a word when she was finished. They all sat there dumbstruck and she feared they would react just as Derek had the night she told him.

"Is she serious man?" Jackson asked. Derek nodded in confirmation.

"Well, I can honestly say that nothing can shock me anymore." Stiles stated.

A comfortable silence settled in and Ruby wasn't sure whether they were slowly accepting that what she told them was true or that they were debating how to tell Derek that his girlfriend was crazy. They may not believe her and maybe they never will, but she didn't care. As long as she had Derek she would be fine.

"Red Riding Hood, that's kind of kinky Derek." Jackson said with a smirk.

Derek gave him a deathly glare and Jackson quickly shut up. Jackson's comment seemed to have broken the silence and they all fell into a comfortable conversation. Ruby hoped this was their way of saying they believe her and from the way they are acting she felt that's what had happened.

She saw Lydia making her way over to her and she instantly tensed. Lydia didn't seem threatening though, more apologetic than anything.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. Allison was the only other semi normal girl in our group and with the loss of her I felt kind of alone in this situation. I guess I shouldn't depend on finding someone normal at this point." Lydia apologized.

"Thank you and I understand wanting to be around normal people. I was normal for a while, 28 years to be exact. Sometimes I wish I could just be Ruby, just a typical 20-something year old girl with typical 20-something year old girl dreams. In this world I'm Ruby and as of right now I'm going to hold onto that. I don't know how long I'm going to stay this way, but I'm going to take it for all it's worth."

Ruby really didn't know how long she was going to stay this way. Would she know if anything changed? Would she just disappear if all the others were able to go back to their world? Would she have to go to Storybrooke to go back to her world? She didn't want to think about these possibilities right now. She had Derek and now a whole group of what she hoped could be her friends. Especially a girl like Lydia, she needed another girl around here.

"So, you're Red Riding Hood huh? You know, we could play around with that. I'm pretty sure Derek would appreciate it very much." Lydia said with a wink.

Ruby listened while Lydia explained her idea. It was genius. Derek would love it.

"I do have the day off today. Do you want to go now?"

Ruby and Lydia made their way back over to the boys. They were engrossed in some sort of intense conversation, but Ruby couldn't tell what it was about.

"Lydia and I are going to do some shopping so I'll see you later tonight okay?"

"But I thought we were going to spend the whole day together?" Derek lips dropped into a pout.

"Trust me lover boy, you want her to go on this shopping trip. She'll make it up to you tonight." Lydia teased.

Ruby gave Derek a quick peck on the lips and a playful wave goodbye as she felt Lydia pull her towards the door. As she was walking away she heard the boys whistle and Stiles even threw in a couple wolf howls.

* * *

Ruby's jaw dropped in awe at the sight of the mall. She had never been to a place like this before and the fact that it was just full of clothes made it that much better.

"You look like you've never seen a mall before." Lydia said.

Ruby shook her head in agreement and Lydia looked shocked.

"Oh my god you really haven't. Well this is just fabulous. Trust me, once you enter this place your life will never be the same. You won't even want to leave!" Lydia threw her arms up in the air and spun around in a circle.

They went to several different stores. They bought make up, shoes, and Lydia had even taken her to Victoria's Secret. Lydia tried to convince her to buy some sexy lingerie and Ruby was reluctant at first, but settled on a few of the more conservative ones. She would save those for another time because tonight she had something else planned based on what Lydia had suggested. They entered the costume store and Ruby was bombarded by a sea of people.

"Is it a coincidence that you and Derek decided to make things official around Halloween, because this works out great." Lydia joked as she guided Ruby through the store.

They eventually made it to the right section and Lydia searched through the items to find the right costume.

"Ah ha!" She exclaimed when she finds it. Ruby took it from her to examine it. She gaffed at the costume and couldn't suppress the laugh that came from her mouth. This costume was ridiculous. Is that what people really thought she looked like?

"Oh my god this is awful. I can tell you right now this is anything but accurate."

Lydia rolled her eyes at Ruby's statement.

"That's the point sweetheart. It's an exaggeration. The point is that Derek is supposed to think you look hot and sexy."

Ruby may have dressed like this all the time, but Red never had. She was still new to this whole sex thing.

"I don't know Lydia," Ruby eyed the costume reluctantly.

"Oh come on Ruby, it's not like you've never done this before."

Ruby shook her head again and shocked Lydia for what was probably the third time today.

"Ruby, was Derek your first?" Lydia asked seriously.

She simply nodded and Lydia's eyes widened in surprise. There was number four.

"Awww Ruby, this is too precious!"

Ruby blushed in embarrassment. Lydia still tried to convince Ruby to by the costume and once again she caved. She thought it would actually be a cute thing to do, thinking it was cute rather than sexy made Ruby feel better about it. They trudged their bags back to Lydias' car. On the way back to Ruby's apartment she listened to Lydia talk about herself, which she was fine with. She actually liked Lydia's company.

"I had fun today. We should do this again sometime." Lydia suggested.

"Totally." Ruby answered. They exchanged numbers and Ruby waved goodbye as Lydia drove away.

* * *

Ruby had been gone for hours and it was killing him. Ever since he had learned the truth about her he had felt extremely protective over her. He knew she could handle herself, she's done it for 28 years, but that didn't stop him from worrying about her. That's not the only thing that had him feeling antsy. Lydia had said he would appreciate it later? What was that supposed to mean? He tried watching T.V. to distract himself, but it wasn't working. It was now 6 o'clock. She had been gone for almost 6 hours! What were they shopping for? It better be damn worth it.

She walked in the door a couple minutes later with an arm full of shopping bags. He practically jumped off the couch at her arrival.

"Here, I'll help you with those." He said as he took a couple bags from her. He brought them to their room and placed them in the closet. She had barely put hers down when he attacked her with his lips. He finally pulled away and rested his forehead on hers.

"Hey." He said breathless.

"Hi. That was quite a hello." She giggled.

"I missed you." He confessed.

"I was only gone for 6 hours."

He shook his head and attached his lips to her jaw. He slowly worked his way over to her ear and whispered.

"6 hours too long."

He softly pushed her towards the bed until she toppled over on top of it. He climbed on top of her and kissed her passionately. He couldn't get enough of her. He started to move his hand under her shirt when she pushed him off.

"Nu uh Mr. You'll have to wait until later for that. I have something special planned for you." She winked at him and scampered out of the bedroom. Derek fell back on the bed with a frustrated groan. He laid there for a while until the smell of dinner wafted into the room. The aroma brought him out of the room and towards the kitchen. He walked up behind Ruby who was cooking at the stove and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled her neck and gave her a soft kiss.

"Mmm that smells delicious baby. Thank you."

She continued to cook happily as he went back to the couch to watch T.V. An hour later dinner was finished and Ruby brought their plates over to the couch so she can join him. They eat their dinner peacefully as they watched a rerun of Game of Thrones. He loved moments like these where they just sat there and enjoyed each others company without having to talk. When they were finished eating, she took the dishes placed them in the sink to wash later. She rejoined him on the couch, but instead of watching the show she climbed onto his lap.

"Ruby, what are you," She cut him off before he could finish with a very sensual kiss.

He groaned when he felt her pull away.

"You stay here and think that over while I get everything ready. I'll call you when I'm finished." She sounded so sexy when she told him this and he shivered with anticipation. He was disappointed when she got off of him and sashayed over to their room. He had to wait again? God dammit.

It didn't take long for him to get antsy again. He was tempted to go check on what she was doing, but he knew it would be worth the wait so he had to stick it out. It was only a few minutes later when he heard her soft voice call for him from their room. When he entered the room he took in the sight of the room surrounded by lit candles, but there was no Ruby in sight.

"Ruby?" He called out.

"Sit on the bed and close your eyes." He heard her voice come from the closet.

He did as he was instructed and waited a few more seconds until he heard the closet door open.

"Okay, open your eyes."

He slowly opened his eyes to see Ruby standing in her red cloak. Sure, she always looked sexy to him, but he didn't understand what was supposed to be so special about this. That is, until she opened the cloak to reveal what was underneath it. His breath came out in a hitch at the sight in front of him. Underneath the cloak she was wearing the sexiest Red Riding Hood costume he had ever seen. She was wearing an off the shoulder, puffy sleeved blouse that cut off just above the belly button with a black bustier of the same length as top. She was wearing an extremely tiny red skirt, if it could even qualify as one, a pair of thigh high tights, and red high heels. Her hair was in a heap of beautiful curls and her make-up was done to the T with her signature red lipstick.

"How do I look? I thought it would be cute to actually be Red Riding Hood for you." She said while giving him a twirl.

"Cute? More like damn sexy. I think you need to get in this bed now before I tackle you right where you're standing."

She giggled at his eagerness and jumped on top of him, giving him another passionate kiss and pushing him back onto the bed. He practically ripped the costume off of her and she had to remind him that he could not, under any circumstances, rip the cloak. This time was different than the last, more passionate and more rushed, but that wasn't a bad thing, it was just different. He still poured all of his love for her into it. After a few more rounds he could tell she was tired. He picked up her cloak from the ground and placed it around her, hoping that this would be the last time for a while that he would have to do that. He crawled back in bed and lay on his side, spooned around Ruby with his arms around her holding her tight. They said their "I love you's" and once again she fell asleep before him, but it didn't take long until he had joined her.

* * *

He was woken in the middle of the night by Ruby's phone ringing.

"Baby, your phone is ringing, can you answer it?" He shook her awake and she groaned in disapproval.

"Hello?" She answered the phone sleepily.

He barely drifted off to sleep when he heard her sobbing. He sat up and turned to see her face buried in her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and looked up at him. He saw pain in her eyes. He knew that pain. His stomach dropped.

"That was Emma. Granny had another heart attack and it doesn't look like she's going to make it this time." She choked out through broken sobs.

He pulled her into him and rubbed circles on her back to calm her. He held her for the rest of the night until she fell asleep in the wee hours of the morning. He knew what this meant. She had to leave. He couldn't ask her to stay here just for his benefit when she might lose the only family she has left. He would support her in any decision she made no matter what role he was forced into after this. She had to go all the way to the other side of the country. His heart was going to be on the other side of the country.

* * *

**Just so you guys know, school starts for me tomorrow so I might be slow to update, but I won't forget about this story I promise. We only have a few more chapters left!**


	9. Back To Grandmother's House

**I apologize in advance to anyone reading this chapter, it made my beta very upset with me, but it had to be done. **

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon a Time  
**

* * *

Ruby was a mess for the next couple of days. She didn't leave the bed once, hidden underneath the many blankets with no intentions of coming out. Derek had spent the first day in bed with her holding her tight, but by the second day she had drifted away from him. He had tried everything to get her out of bed: bribing her with gifts, saying he would buy anything for her, making her favorite breakfast; waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream, and he even told her he would drive her all the way to Disney World. He smacked his forehead in stupidity for that suggestion when she started to crying. Bringing her to a place that would more than likely remind her of the place she was forcefully taken from probably wasn't the best idea. That idea drew her even further under the heap of blankets.

They were on day three now. She only made some sort of movement when she had to answer her phone. Emma kept calling with news of Granny and with every call her condition was getting worse. At one point Ruby had stopped answering her phone all together. Derek finally had to answer it when she had given up.

"Derek, she should probably come back before it is too late. It doesn't look like Granny is going to last much longer and I don't want Ruby to regret not saying goodbye."

He knew Emma meant well by demanding Ruby to come back, but Derek didn't want her to leave. If she left who knew when she was going to be coming back. He knew for sure that he wasn't going to be able to go with her. He had his pack here to look after. He wouldn't hold her back from going if that was what she wanted though. He knew what it was like, not being able to say goodbye to the ones you loved. He didn't want her to have to experience that.

He dug through the mess of blankets to find Ruby curled up in a ball, face completely hidden from view. She made no noise or movement when he had uncovered her and he could see tear stains on the sheets. He caressed her arm and brushed the hair out of her face.

"Ruby, baby, you have to get out of bed. We don't have to go anywhere or talk about it, you just need to eat or take a shower or something." Derek suggested.

Her eyes met his. They were bloodshot and puffy from crying. She slowly pushed herself up and pushed more of the blankets off of her.

"There we go, do you want me to run a bath for you?" Derek asked sweetly.

She slowly nodded and he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

"Okay, I'll get everything ready for you." He didn't want to leave her side, but he was going to do anything to make her feel better. He filled the tub with warm water and he added Ruby's favorite vanilla almond bubble bath. Once everything was ready he brought her into the bathroom. He was about to start helping her get undressed when she pushed his hand away.

"I don't need your help, I can do it myself. Can you leave me please?" He voice was hoarse from all of the crying.

Though it pained him to do so, he did as she asked and left to the kitchen so that he could make some lunch that she would hopefully eat. An hour later everything was made and he had even eaten some himself, yet Ruby still hadn't emerged from her bath. He went to investigate and he found her still sitting in the bathtub completely motionless. It was almost as if her soul had left, all that remained was the shell of a body.

"Ruby, lunch is ready. Do you want to come eat?" He asked softly.

She slowly rose from the tub and stepped out. She didn't even stop to dry off so Derek had to find her robe to cover her up. She ate timidly, taking little bites here and there. Derek watched her intently to see if she was making any progress. When she was finished he thought he could see life spring back into her.

"Do you feel better now?"

Ruby wiped off her face with a napkin and gave him a faint smile.

"I am. Thank you. You've been so sweet the past couple of days and I've been nothing but an emotional burden. I'm sorry." She looked defeated as she said this, like she had let him down.

"You have every right to feel that way Ruby. When I lost my family I completely dropped out of school and left this town for years. But you need to see her Ruby, before it's too late."

He saw the tears forming in her eyes and her mouth fell to a frown. He quickly rushed to her side and brought her into his arms.

"I know I have to see her, but I just can't." Her voice was muffled due to the fact that her face was buried in his chest. "I don't want to see her when she's lying in a hospital bed with millions of tubes shoved into her. She's the only family I have left Derek, I can't lose her." She broke down and cried even harder when she was done speaking. His hold on her tightened.

"I know baby, but you have to go. You have to say goodbye while you can. You'll regret it if you don't."

She pulled out of his arms and shuffled over to the couch. He joined her and as she lied down he placed her head in his lap. He stroked her hair and they just sat there for hours in complete silence. He didn't know if she was coming to terms with what was going on and deciding how to leave or if she had reverted to her previous vegetative state.

"I'll leave tomorrow morning." He finally heard her say.

"Okay, should I book the flight then?"

She nodded and he got up, placing her head softly back on the couch.

He booked a straight flight from Beacon Hills to, surprisingly, Storybrooke. He found it odd that the town was actually listed, seeing as it didn't really exist, but at this point he didn't care. He just wanted to make sure that she got there with as little complications as possible.

Once he was finished he returned to the couch, but Ruby was no longer there. He went to the bedroom and found her in the bed; once again, though this time she turned to him and beckoned him to join her. He slid in next to her and pulled her body to his. He kissed the crook of her neck.

"I've booked your flight for tomorrow morning at 10 am. You fly straight to Storybrooke, no stops. Is that okay?"

She turned to face him and she placed her hand on his cheek.

"It's perfect, thank you baby." She kissed him slowly. He felt so much emotion in it. She was leaving tomorrow morning and he had no idea when she was coming back. He wished they could go further, but he knew that wasn't happening tonight. It wouldn't be right. It was their last night together until he didn't know when and he was going to spend it holding her tight, never wanting to let go.

She had everything packed and was ready to go by 9 the next morning.

"Don't worry about the apartment Ruby. I'll take care of it. I need a place to live don't I?"

"And make sure you talk to Vivian today, tell her I'm sorry." She reminded him.

"I'll tell her, but you don't need to be sorry Ruby. You had no control over this."

Half way to the airport Derek noticed her jittering.

"Ruby, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"I've never been on a plane before. I'm scared." He could see it on her face how terrified she was. He had totally forgotten that she had never done this before. He smacked himself mentally for the second time this week.

"Everything is going to be okay Ruby, I promise. I'm so sorry that I can't come with you." He gave her hand a tight squeeze for emphasis.

The airport wasn't very busy today, which was a great relief. Check in was fast and easy. The hard part came when they drew nearer to security. Derek stopped walking and tugged on Ruby's hand so that she would do the same. She turned and faced him in confusion, but when she saw the look on his face she knew why he had.

"This is as far as I can go. I can't go through security with you. They won't let me."

He saw the tears forming in her eyes and he held back his own. She walked forward and threw her arms around his neck to bring him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, as if she could practically melt into him. When she pulled back tears were flowing down her face. He wiped some off with his thumb, but more kept coming.

"I guess this is goodbye then." She said through tears.

"Not goodbye, just see you soon." There was no way he was saying goodbye to her.

She stared at him for a couple seconds. There was something about the way she was looking at him, like she was trying to memorize everything about him because she was never going to see him again.

"Derek, I have no idea what is waiting for me back home. If Granny doesn't make it she's left me with the diner. I have to run it by myself. I can't just abandon it to be taken care of by someone else, Granny trusted me with this. If she goes I have to prove to her that she didn't leave it to a failure. You can't leave your pack,"

No. No no no no no. She couldn't be saying what he thought she was saying.

"Ruby," He tried to interrupt her.

"No, Derek, what's going to happen if I can finally get back to my world? I could finally go home, where I'm supposed to be. I was never meant for this world. I was never meant to love you, but I do and I don't regret it, not for one second."

She gave him one last kiss. It was full of all the passion and love that she felt for him. She wanted him to feel it. She needed him to know that she loved him and that she would never forget him.

"Goodbye Derek." She let go of his hand and walked to the place where he could no longer reach her.

He wanted to yell to her, run to her, whatever he could do to change her mind, but he knew it would be futile. If he made a scene he would be arrested.

Fuck it.

"Ruby, wait!" Derek yelled and sprinted through security. The alarms went off when he went through the metal detector and he could feel the security guards on his tail, but it didn't stop him. He wouldn't stop until he had her back in his arms, until he had convinced her to stay with him. He had caught up with her and nearly tackled her to the ground due to the force, thankfully he caught her.

"Derek! You're not supposed to be back here, you'll get arrested! Go back!" She pushed him off of her and dusted off her clothes. He looked up at her and her eyes widened at the approach of the guards. He wasn't able to move fast enough, they grabbed a hold of his arms and shoved them behind his back in a pair of cuffs. While they read him his rights his eyes never left Ruby's. They were full of tears and she looked so hurt. He had just screwed up big time. How was he supposed to convince her to take him back when he had just gotten arrested right in front of her? She shook her head in disappointment, grabbed her things, and continued towards her gate.

"Ruby!" He yelled repeatedly as they dragged him away in the opposite direction. She was gradually disappearing from his view. He struggled against his restraints and the guards.

"Sir, if you don't stop struggling things will get worse for you." One of the guards warned him.

Derek heeded to his warning and hung his head in sorrow. They booked him, took his mug shot, and threw him into the holding cell.

She had probably boarded by now. She was already on her way home and her last image of Derek was of him being arrested. That was the last thing he wanted her to remember him for. Why couldn't he just let her go? She was right after all. She wasn't meant for this world. From what she had told him she wasn't even supposed to have been able to leave Storybrooke. They were never supposed to meet and fall in love, but that was the thing; they did. He loved her more than he had ever loved anyone and she was gone. She probably wouldn't talk to him after this. He would never know what happened to Granny, he would never know if she ever went back to her world.

His thoughts were interrupted when one of the guards came to the gate of his cell.

"You have one phone call. Make sure you call the right person." The guard ordered.

There was only one person he could call that he thought he could really trust. He just hoped he wouldn't come to regret it.

"Scott, man, you gotta help me out. I'm in jail."

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**Oh Derek, why on earth would you call Scott? Because we need some funny/stupid Scott in this story ;) Only 3 more chapters left :)**


	10. Lone Wolf

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon a Time.**

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Derek paced back and forth is his cell waiting for Scott to arrive. He had called him almost an hour ago and he still wasn't here yet. Getting arrested twice in one year, he was on a roll.

He heard footsteps coming towards the room. Scott was shoved through the doorway by the officer.

"You have 10 minutes." The officer told Scott.

10 minutes, what was this guy talking about?

He gave Scott a confused look and Scott shrugged back.

"Dude, I'm not 18, I can't let you out. How did you not know that?"

Derek slammed his head against the bars in frustration.

"Fuck! I forgot. Why didn't I just call Peter?" Derek cursed.

"Um I don't know, maybe because Peter screwed you over and you kind of have a hard time forgiving people when they do that."

Derek gave Scott an angry stare. He expected Scott to back away, but he only moved closer.

"Stiles is trying to find the keys so we can let you out." Scott whispered to him.

"Is that such a good idea?" He whispered back.

"What other option do you have? Look, don't worry. I'm sure Stiles can get his father to work something out once we've got you out of here." Scott reassured him.

At that moment Stiles came barreling into the room out of breath. His hands were shaking as he searched through the keys, trying to find the right one.

"Okay, once I let you out they are bound to hear the cell opening so we have to book it, got it?"

They all nod in agreement and Stiles unlocked the cell. Derek rushed out and they were sprinting towards the exit.

"Hey, you, stop!" The officer yelled at them, almost stumbling out of his chair behind the desk.

His demand just made them run faster. Once they had gotten out of the airport they sprinted towards the parking garage.

"Derek, Stiles and I will meet you at the warehouse once the coast is clear!" Scott yelled in his direction.

"Got it!"

On that note they split up, going in their separate directions towards their cars. The officers were still on their tails, but Derek was able to peel out of the garage before they got to him. Derek made it safely back onto the highway with no officers in sight. A couple cars back were Scott and Stiles in his jeep. They had almost made it to town when he heard the sirens.

"Shit." Derek muttered to himself.

He weaved in and out of lanes to put as much distance between him and the cops as possible. He had lost sight of Scott and Stiles. He hoped the cops hadn't gotten to them.

The warehouse was in sight and he skidded into the parking lot hidden behind the building. A couple moments later Scott and Stiles joined him.

"Come on guys, we have to get inside. They won't look for us in there."

Derek hustled them through the door of the warehouse. Not a second later they heard the sirens go past, but then fade away into the distance.

"That was a close one." Scott huffed breathlessly.

"I can't thank you guys enough." Derek said wholeheartedly.

"This is nothing compared to some of the shit we've been through this year. I'm sure I can talk to my dad about this, but you may want to lay low for a while Derek." Stiles warned him.

Oh there was no doubt in his mind that he was going to lay low. He probably wasn't going do anything, but mope around the apartment for the days to come. Dammit, the apartment, everything about it was going to remind him of Ruby. He was screwed.

"Why they hell were you in there man?" Scott asked him.

Derek took a deep breath. He totally wasn't ready to talk about this, but he owed them both an explanation for why they had to break him out of jail.

"I was dropping Ruby off at the airport because she was going back home to check on her grandmother. She broke up with me right on the spot and well, I kind of lost it." Derek explained. Looking back on it, that was probably one of the stupidest things he had ever done. He definitely could have handled that better.

"Harsh bro." Scott attempted to comfort him.

"She said we were never supposed to really be together so this was bound to happen. I just couldn't let her go. If she was going to break up with me it was supposed to be because I had done something stupid, not because it was what the world wanted."

They were all silent as Derek let it sink in that Ruby was really gone.

"I better go so I can tell my dad about what just happened before the cops do." Stiles motioned for Scott to come with him, but Scott brushed him away and stayed put.

Derek and Scott sat in silence for a while. He noticed Scott struggling to say something. Was Scott going to try to have a heart to heart with him right now? He really wasn't in the mood for that.

"I know what it's like, having the world do everything in its power to keep you and the one you love apart. Allison and I tried so hard to keep it together, but at this time in her life it just wasn't possible, but I know we'll find our way back to one another, its fate. You just have to wait until the right time, she'll come around." Scott got up and patted him on the shoulder. "See you around man. Don't let it mess you up too bad." With that said, Scott left Derek alone to wallow in his own suffering.

He hesitated at the door of the apartment. He knew that as soon as he opened the door he was going to be bombarded with a load of feelings that he wasn't prepared for. Everything in the apartment was going to remind him of Ruby. All her stuff was still there, but she wasn't and that was the problem. It looked as though she hadn't even left. Her keys were still hanging by the door, her jacket was draped on one of the chairs in the kitchen, when he walked further into the apartment he found her robe on the floor in their bedroom or was it his bedroom now? He really didn't want to think about it, he just needed to take a shower and go to bed.

He stripped off all of his clothes, turned on the water as hot as it could go and climbed in. He just stood there for an hour doing nothing, just letting the water run over him and the hot steam seep through his pores. He blindly reached for his body wash and squirted some into his hand. He started messaging it onto his skin, but a certain vanilla aroma engulfed around him. It smelled just like Ruby; he had grabbed her body wash instead of his.

"FUCK!" His scream echoed in the shower and he threw the bottle to the wall.

He was done. He ripped the door of the shower open and stormed out. He didn't even bother drying off. He just made his way to the bed and collapsed onto it. He pulled the sheets on top of him, but was once again bombarded by the smell that was Ruby all over again.

"God dammit," He muttered to himself.

Everything smelled like her. This wasn't going to work. He threw the sheets off of him and got out of bed. He grabbed every pillow and threw it out of the door into the hall. He ripped the sheets off of the bed and they joined the pillows in the hallway. He stomped over to the closet, pulled the spare comforter down along with a pillow, slipped on a pair of pajama pants, and threw himself on the bed again. He tossed and turned all night, dreaming of chasing a girl in a red cloak.

He was woken up the next morning by the sound of birds chirping outside of the bedroom window. He grunted and rolled over onto his stomach pulling the blanket to cover him completely. When he had rolled over to the other side of the bed he had expected to tumble on top of another body, but then he remembered that that spot was empty and it was going to stay that way. It almost physically hurt him to lay there so he went back to his original position. He just laid there staring blankly at the ceiling. What was he going to do now? It's not like he could go out and do anything seeing as the cops might be still looking for him, not like he really went out anyways. The only time he really did was to do stuff with Ruby and it pained him to remember that she wasn't here anymore. He was just going to stay like this for the rest of the day or maybe even for the rest of his life. He almost fell back asleep when his phone vibrated in his pants that had been thrown on the floor the previous night. He felt a sudden jolt of excitement or was it nervousness, maybe a combination of both? What if it was Ruby? He didn't care if it was her calling him just to say that she had made it to Storybrooke safely, he just wanted to hear her voice. He scrambled out of bed and rustled through his pants for his phone. His shoulders slumped forward when he saw who was really calling. It was Scott. Of course Ruby hadn't called him, she had broken up with him after all. He sighed in disappointment and almost answered it, but he didn't really want to talk to anyone right now. If it was important he would leave a voicemail and sure enough he did. He debated whether to listen to it now or later and he decided to just get it over with.

"Hey man, just thought you should know that Stiles talked to his dad. He wasn't too happy when he heard about what happened, but he sorted everything out so you're good to go. I know you're kind of bummed right now so don't go out and get crazy drunk. These sorts of things get better in stride, it just takes a while. You'll get through it."

Well, that sort of made things better. At least he could go out now and not have to worry about getting arrested, not like he was going to though. He crawled back into bed. He almost left his phone on the floor, but he decided against it. What if Ruby really did call him?

That wasn't the case though. Every time his phone went off it was Scott, Jackson, or Isaac. He ignored every single one. They left a few voicemails, but he didn't listen to those either.

He didn't move from the bed all day. Each day just seemed to fade into the next. At one point he guessed he hadn't left that spot in 5 days. He was so out of it that he didn't even hear someone busting the lock on the front door to get in, though he was alerted of the presence when they came through the bedroom door.

"God, it smells like wet dog in here." He heard Stiles complain.

Derek launched a pillow in the general of Stiles' voice, but heard a different voice yell out in annoyance.

"Hey! He said it not me!" Scott whined.

Derek sat up in bed to see Scott and Stiles picking things up off of the floor. He got up and swatted the sheets out of Stiles' hands.

"I can clean up after myself thank you very much. I don't have to depend on others to do it for me unlike some people." He said directed at Scott.

"Hey, my mom just does the grocery shopping….and sometimes my laundry…..okay, maybe she does clean up after me, but you haven't been doing a very good job of it in the past couple days!"

Derek rolled his eyes at them both. He really didn't need this right now. Why were they even here? Didn't they have school or lacrosse practice to go to? They could certainly be annoying someone else right now.

"What do you guys want?" Derek huffed as he started picking up things around the room.

"We just came to check on you. You've been ignoring our calls and we were worried you had done something drastic." Scott said sounding concerned.

"Well as you can see I'm doing fine." Derek sneered back.

"No you're not man. You have been secluded in this room for 5 days. That's not healthy. I know you got dumped and that sucks, but you can't let that stop you from living." Scott had tried to shift closer to Derek, but he sensed Derek's hostile stance and backed away.

"Wow Scott. When did you get all philosophical?" Stiles joked.

Derek couldn't stand listening to them talking for one more second. He was losing it.

"Oh my god Scott, you're a fucking sophomore in high school, you have no idea what love is!" Derek yelled.

"You know what, maybe I don't know what love is, but what I had with Allison felt like it and it was probably the closest I have gotten to being in love." Scott took a step closer to Derek and they were face to face. Both of their fists were clenched at their sides.

"Do you Scott? Because I don't think you do. You can hate Allison, I mean you have a reason to; she hunts your kind for fucks sake. You're supposed to hate her. I can't hate Ruby, I could never hate her. You know why she broke up with me? She said it was because she was never supposed to be with me. She was never supposed to leave Storybrooke in the first place, but she did and she ended up falling in love with me. She loved me! Now she thinks she might even go back to her world." Derek stopped and realized what he had just said. "Her world, wow I never noticed how crazy that sounds. I was dating fucking Red Riding Hood for Christ's sake!" Derek finally broke down and fell back on to the bed. "She was the only reason I did anything now a days and now that she's gone there's nothing for me here."

They were all silent as Derek let it finally hit him. She was gone and probably never coming back. She was going to go back to her world and he could never get to her. It was probably for the best. She needed to go back to where she belonged and if that made her happy then Derek was just going to have to accept it. He sat up and ran his hand over his face and through his hair.

"Come on, we gotta get you out of here. We have to get your mind off of her for a while. It will be good for you." Stiles offered.

"We could take him to that one club we went to when we were chasing Jackson that one time." Scott piped up.

Stiles gave Scott an annoyed look and slapped the back of his head.

"I really don't think a gay club is going to help him right now Scott. I was just thinking we could get something to eat." Stiles suggested.

Derek reluctantly agreed to this and they left the room so that he could get dressed. As they left the house he was about to lock the door when he remembered that Scott had broken in.

"I'll get that fixed." Scott said apologetically.

They drove through town and Derek noticed that Stiles had intended on going to the diner. He instantly felt nauseous and uneasy. He couldn't go there. That's where he met Ruby for the first time. He grabbed the wheel and swerved out of the way.

"What the hell dude!" Stiles yelled.

Derek shook his back and forth. "We can't go there, anywhere but there."

He saw the realization hit Stiles.

"Oh right, sorry."

They ended up just getting some fast food and headed over to the warehouse to meet the others. Derek needed to get his car from there anyways. Now that he wasn't a wanted a man he could actually drive it around. In a few minutes everyone had accumulated in the warehouse; Derek, Scott, Stiles, Jackson, Lydia, Isaac, and to his surprise Boyd and Erica were there as well.

"They came back here a couple days ago when you weren't here. The alphas gave them quite a scare, but they're okay now." Isaac informed him.

They all joked and laughed while they ate. Derek knew they were trying their hardest to get him to not think about Ruby, but their efforts failed. Derek excused himself to go outside for some fresh air. He looked up at the moon. It was going to be few weeks before another full moon came around. He found himself thinking about Ruby and her cloak. He knew she hadn't forgotten it. He made sure she had packed it. He had bothered her about it almost every second while she was packing the essentials she needed. He just hoped she remembered to wear it.

He felt someone coming up behind him. It was Scott.

"You see that in there? Jackson, Isaac, Boyd, and Erica, they're the reason you need to be here. They need you. You can't leave them Derek, you're their alpha." That was all Scott had come to say and he went back inside as soon as he was finished.

Scott was right. He couldn't leave his pack. He had tried so hard to build it and because of a broken heart he was ready to just throw it all away. They were his family and they were going to help him through this.

As the days went by things got easier. His chest didn't ache as bad when he saw things that belonged to Ruby around the apartment. He chose to ignore them and just act as though they weren't really there. He had probably washed the sheets a million times to get her scent out. He made sure to throw away her body wash and her razor, he had accidentally used it once. When he had realized that he basically crushed it into a powdery mess. He spent less and less time there and at one point he had even thought about selling it, but he decided not to. He had nowhere to put any of Ruby's things and seeing as she wasn't talking to him, he couldn't find out her address and send them to her. The real reason he didn't want to sell it was because he was hoping that she was going to come back one day. She was going to realize how much she loved him. How much she really needed him and that going to her world wouldn't make her happy because he wasn't in it. But that was just a fantasy, not reality.

He actually found himself looking forward to full moons now. They were a chance for him to let go and be free. He let the wolf side take over him to the point where he really had no human thoughts, just the thoughts of a wolf. He made sure he could still keep himself under control though. There was no need for him to cause any problems just because he needed an escape. He would just run through the woods without a single care in the world of where he was going. He urged Isaac, Jackson, Boyd, and Erica to stay within the town limits. He didn't want them following him just in case he did run into trouble. They were really all he had and he wasn't going to lose anyone else.

Instead of avoiding every place that reminded him of Ruby, he visited them rather regularly. He would go hiking on a nice, cool and sunny day. On those days he would just lounge out in the grass and when the sun set he would stay for the whole thing. It was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, no wait, scratch that, it was the second most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Ruby was the first. She will always be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. When he stared at the sun as it set he would think about her. Was she happy? Had she made it back to her world? He always thought that if she had truly gone back to her world he would be able to feel it, like he would get some sort of sense that she had really left this world. He didn't dwell on it too much. If he did he would slip back into a state of depression. Let's just say it had happened a few times before.

One place that he had become a regular at was the diner. One day he had decided that if he was able to go in there and not completely break down then he would be okay. It had taken a few tries, but one day he was able to finish all of his coffee and leave comfortably without any feeling of discomfort. He spent his time there thinking about the good times he had with Ruby, days when he had spent the whole day at the diner with her laughing at jokes and shamelessly flirting. If he couldn't look back on those times and smile then there was really something wrong with him.

Some of the waitresses had started flirting with him. They must have thought that because of Ruby he had a thing for waitresses and that they had a shot. He turned down their advances every time. He was in no way ready for that. He would mainly talk to Vivian. She was such a sweet old lady and he knew he didn't need to worry about her hitting on him. Most of the time she stayed in her office doing paper work, but when she walked around the diner and surveyed the place he noticed how exhausted she looked. It must take a lot out of her to run this diner all by herself at her age. She had to be at least in her late 70's.

One morning when she brought him his coffee he noticed how weak she really was. She had almost dropped the mug before it had reached the counter.

"Do you even enjoy working here anymore?" He hadn't meant for it to come out so rudely, but he really was curious and she didn't seem offended by it.

"Oh I still love this place with all of my heart and if I'm still up and walking then I will be here, but at times I can feel that it's a bit much. I'm so close to retirement that I can taste it. I just have to hold in there a little longer." She told him with a wink.

That got him thinking. He had no idea why the idea had popped into his head and it quite possibly could be the dumbest idea he had ever come up with, but that wasn't going to stop him.

"Why don't I buy it from you, take it off your hands. I'll make a fair deal with you and you will be set for life."

Her mouth dropped at his offer and he prayed to god that she wouldn't have heart attack right then and there.

"Oh honey, what would a young man like you do with a place like this?" She questioned.

"I have some ideas. How about we go back to your office and draw this thing out?"

It didn't take long for them to come to a deal that they were both okay with. Vivian was shockingly eager to get rid of this place and because of that Derek kept his promise and she was really going to be set for life. He had barely spent any of the money he had inherited from his parents so he still had plenty to go around even after buying the diner.

She handed him the deed and the keys and she was out the door. She mentioned something about Malibu. _More power to her_ Derek thought.

He closed the diner the next day much to the people's dismay. He stated it was under new management and adjustments needed to be made. There was just one thing that was missing; Ruby. He hadn't thought of a stupid plan in a while so this one was long overdue. Hopefully, unlike his other failed plans, this one would actually work out in the end.

He had informed Isaac of his plan and left him in charge while he was gone. Hopefully he wouldn't be gone for too long. He didn't even pack anything before he left. He just made sure to fix the lock, Scott had never gotten around to doing so.

He hopped in his car and he was on the road. He tried to drive as far as he could without having to stop to rest up. He was wired and full of nerves so he didn't sleep much anyways. About half way through the trip he had almost turned all the way around and gone back home. What if she had already left? What if she didn't want to leave Storybrooke and go back to Beacon Hills with him? She would probably slap him when he presented her with his proposition, but he wasn't backing out. This was his last ditch effort at getting her back. He hoped once he got to Maine signs for Storybrooke would be clearer. He didn't know if anyone there could really help him find it, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.

Luckily for him there were signs for Storybrooke. He saw the welcome sign and instantly stopped his car. This was his last chance to turn around. He really could just turn right around and never look back. It would have been easier if he really did know that she was actually gone, but it would haunt him for the rest of his life if he didn't go through with this. If his plan was going to fail it wasn't going to fail because she wasn't there. It was going to fail because she said no and forcefully shoved him out of her life. It wasn't going to be because he chickened out.

He slowly drove into town, but it wasn't long before he got an eerie feeling about the place. It looked so empty and run down. It was basically a ghost town. The fact that it was raining just added to the dreariness of it.

It hit him like a freight train. He was too late. She was already gone. Someone had found a way to get back to her world and she took the opportunity. How could he ever have thought she would have been happy with him in this world that was so different from her own? It was foolish of him to think that she wouldn't go back to her world. That was where she belonged. Fairy tales weren't real here and because of that she would never feel like she truly belonged in this world. He wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not her.

He was about to turn around when he spotted the diner at the end of the street, it was her diner. He had to go in there, just once, just to see what her life was like. He parked in front of the diner and got out of his car. The thought hadn't even crossed his mind that the door could be locked, but it didn't matter, it wasn't.

Granny's diner was smaller than Vivian's. It was homier and certainly seemed like a place Ruby would work. The place was surprisingly tidy even though no one was there to care for it.

He had made it behind the bar when he heard rustling coming from the back room. Someone was actually here? Was it someone looting the town because no one was here to stop him? He debated for a second on whether to stop the robber or not, but instantly froze on the spot when the assumed robber walked through the door. He felt like his heart had stopped for a second. It wasn't a robber at all, it was Ruby.

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**Yay! Ruby didn't actually leave! Just one more chapter and then the epilogue. You can thank my boring Texas Government class for the epilogue by the way, that class allows my mind to wander to dangerous places. **

**I would also love it if people would review, I just like to know how I'm doing and if you are actually enjoying the story :)  
**


	11. Part Of Your World

**You've witnessed Derek's life after the break up, now it's Ruby's turn.**

**Everyone should know the title for this chapter is from The Little Mermaid, yeah it's cliche, but I don't care :)  
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**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon a Time.  
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She tried so hard to hold the tears back. She fought with all her might to not turn around, thrust those officers off of Derek, and go back to her apartment with him. She loved him, she really did, but she had to go back and make sure Granny was okay. This meant she had to go back to Storybrooke and going back meant she could never leave. She couldn't do that again. Look at what it had done to Granny. She couldn't leave once she got back and Derek couldn't leave Beacon Hills. He had people that depended on him here. She should have known this world wasn't going to let them be together. That was the whole point of Regina sending her here. She wasn't allowed to have a happy ending.

She made it to her gate right on time. They had just started boarding, but there weren't that many people in line. Of course there weren't. Who in their right mind would want to go to Storybrooke? Her nerves were starting to kick in. When she made it to her seat she buckled herself in and tugged the strap tight. It made her feel more secure. Her legs started bobbing up and down and she chewed on her nails.

"First time flyer?" She heard someone ask.

She looked to find the stewardess leaning on the seat next to her.

"Uh yeah, is it that obvious?" Ruby asked, her voice all wobbly.

"Well when you fly as much as I do you know how to spot them." She replies. "Don't worry, this may be a long flight, but we're betting that it's going to be a smooth one. So, what's in Maine?"

Ruby was eased by her reassurance, but when the stewardess asked what was in Maine she felt uneasy again.

"It's my hometown. My grandmother lives there and she's ill. I have to go back and be with her if she isn't going to make it." With every word that left her mouth her voice was growing shakier.

"I'm sorry to hear that sweetheart. I hope your grandmother gets better once you're there. Love can heal all wounds." With that the stewardess walked off to check on the rest of the passengers.

Ruby felt a pain in her chest when the woman mentioned love. Sure, her grandmother came to mind when she heard the word, but Derek shined even brighter in her mind when it came to love. Peter was back there in the shadows of her mind. She had been in love with him at one point, but with him she had just experienced the beginning of love, not the whole thing. With Derek she had experienced it all. The ups and downs, the fighting and making up, the good and the bad. She meant what she had said to him, she wouldn't regret what they had for a second. She had finally found someone who loved her, loved all of her, the inexperienced and innocent Red side, her feisty and playful Ruby side, and her powerful wolf side. She had never shared that with anyone else and she didn't think that she ever would again.

The take off was a bit rough for her and she felt like she was going to throw up, but she held it back. Staring out the window calmed her. Being so high up in the sky was scary, but it was also kind of therapeutic. It was like she was far away from all of her problems. She happily fell asleep through the entire flight. Dreaming kept her mind off of what could go wrong while flying, but her dreams were filled of days spent outdoors, Vivian's diner, and lounging in the apartment, all with Derek. When she was woken by the pilot alerting the passengers of their decent she felt fresh tears on her cheeks.

She was so glad that they had landed safely and she couldn't wait to get off of that damn plane. The flight might have been nice, but that hadn't changed her mind on flying. She wasn't planning on doing that again for a long time. She didn't have to wait for her luggage. She hadn't brought much so she was able to bring what she had on the plane with her. She got out of the airport and hailed a cab. Driving through town everything felt so familiar, like home, but she knew it wasn't really home, it would never be.

She didn't bother going anywhere else first. She just went straight to the hospital. The sterile smell of the hospital burned her nostrils. She hated that smell. Her breath caught in her chest when she looked through the glass door and saw Granny hooked up to the machines by what seemed like a million wires. Oh god, why had she ever left her? She should have known that after the first heart attack it wouldn't be a good idea to put her through that stress again, but she had done it anyways.

She slowly pushed the glass door open, but it seemed so heavy, like it was forcing her back out, but she fought it. She practically ran to her grandmother's side, but stopped just short of the bed. She was so pale, her skin almost translucent and she was as thin as a rail. Her cries came out as broken sobs and she covered her mouth with her hand so she wouldn't make too much noise. Unfortunately it didn't work and Granny's eyes fluttered open.

"Ruby, is that you?" Several deep breaths were taken between each word. She sounded exhausted.

The amount of energy that Granny had to exert to ask Ruby such a simple question caused more tears to flow and a silent sob to come from her lips. Her chin started shaking making her lips all wobbly.

"Yes, it's me grandma. I'm here. Everything is going to be okay." Ruby moved forward and grasped onto Granny's hand as if she would slip away at any moment.

"I was so worried about you. Where did you go? I hope you didn't get into any trouble."

Ruby smiled at Granny's curiosity. Of course, only Granny would be worried about her while she was lying in a hospital bed.

"I saw so many beautiful things that this world has to offer Granny. You would have loved it."

A faint smile grew on Granny's face and she saw a slight glimmer in her eyes. It gave her hope, it showed her that she was still there, there was still some life left in her.

"I would love to hear all about it. Will you tell me?" Her voice sounded so weak.

"Of course I will." Ruby said with a smile.

Ruby spent the next couple days telling Granny of her grand adventure. She never left her side once. She told her about visiting Washington D.C., the capital of America. She gave her all the information on the rich history of this country. She gave her every detail of her snowboarding experience. She showed her every spot where a bruise had shown up and how to hold your stance while you were riding on the board. She told her how monumental the Grand Canyon was. How it was formed just by one river and how it went on for miles. She tried to give as much detail as she could when describing the sunset in California to her. She wanted Granny to be able to see it herself.

"That sounds beautiful Ruby. I wish I could have seen it with you."

She told her how she had gotten a job at another diner, but she assured her that it wasn't as great as Granny's diner.

Ruby could tell that Granny was barely holding on. It had been three days since Ruby had returned to Storybrooke and Granny had gotten worse with each passing day. It was almost as if Granny was holding on just to hear Ruby's entire story.

On the last day Granny had been drifting in and out of consciousness, dozing off for most of the day. Dr. Wale had informed her that she probably wouldn't last much longer. Ruby tried not to get so emotional around her, but it was so hard in Granny's state of illness.

Ruby had been sitting there with her and she wasn't quite sure if Granny was sleeping or she was just too exhausted to make it known that she was awake.

"You know how you were worried about if I had gotten into any trouble on my trip?" She waited for an answer, but when it didn't come she continued talking. "Well I did. It was the worst kind of trouble too. I fell in love. I feel in love Granny and you would have loved him. His name was Derek and he cared so much for me. He loved me and you want to know the crazy thing? He was just like me. He was a wolf like me and there were others like us as well. I finally wasn't alone." She couldn't fight her emotions anymore. Talking about Derek just made them worse.

"But it's like Regina's curse is still working even though its been broken. He couldn't come with me to Storybrooke. He has people back in California that depend on him, but I couldn't stay there when you were here like this. I had to leave him. We weren't really supposed to be together and I wasn't supposed to fall in love. I got in so much trouble Granny and it hurts, it hurts so much."

Ruby collapsed on to Granny's legs at the end of the bed and broke down into sobs. She felt Granny's hand slowly rubbing on her back.

"I would have loved to have met him Ruby. He sounds like such a sweet boy." Granny wheezed out.

The rubbing got slower and slower until it stopped all together. Ruby noticed how still Granny had gotten and that's when she realized she was gone. She stayed in her spot on Granny legs and cried harder. The nurses tried to get her to move, but she shoved them off and gripped onto Granny with all of her might. She couldn't really be gone. Ruby hadn't even fully apologized to her yet. She knew that Granny had automatically forgiven her the moment she had finished reading the note she had left for her when she had left Storybrooke, but she needed to apologize.

"I'm sorry Granny. I'm so sorry." She let Granny's hand slip away from hers as they wheeled Granny out of the room.

The funeral was a very intimate ceremony. A few kind words of Granny were said here and there by different town's people. Ruby had wanted to say something, she really did, but these days she could do nothing but cry.

Later on in the day Ruby had been called into the Sheriff's office. James was now in charge, there was no shock there. He had the keys and the deed to both the diner and the inn. Ruby took them reluctantly from him. Her hands making both the paper and the keys shake.

"I'm sorry for your loss Ruby." James told her.

She replied with a nod and was out the door.

Running the diner and the inn were surprisingly easy. It helped that she wasn't intimidated by Rumpelstiltskin. It was strange not having Granny there to answer her questions. She could only depend on herself.

On a slow day she would find herself drifting off to thoughts about Derek. She hoped he hadn't been sent to jail because of his outburst at the airport. Was he doing okay? Was he safe? He had told her a little about the new alpha pack that had shown up in town a little before she had. He said he wasn't too worried about them, but if they had acted on their intentions then they could have become a problem.

She wondered if when he looked at the moon at night he thought of her, she thought of him whenever she saw it. When she had first come back, her thoughts were occupied by Granny, but now that she was gone she was left to cry over Derek.

Emma had found her weeping in the back office one day. She tried to play it off as finding something that reminded her Granny, but Emma and her damn super power knew that she was lying.

"Come on. You had a hard day of work today. Let's go and get a drink, you deserve it." Emma had suggested.

She didn't get too dressed up. She didn't want any attention drawn to her, especially not that sort of attention.

Emma ordered a glass of whiskey while Ruby stuck with red wine.

"All right, spill, who is he?" Emma insinuated.

"What makes you think it's because of a guy that I'm like this. Granny just died and I have to run the diner and the inn all by myself. That's pretty stressful." Ruby quipped back.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I've been in your position so many times that I can tell when someone looks dumped. So come on, out with it." She demanded.

Ruby couldn't argue with her there. She wasn't that great at hiding her emotions and with Granny passing and leaving Derek she had been a mess.

"Well, you're kind of wrong on the whole getting dumped thing. I actually dumped him."

Emma's eyes grew wide and she held up her hand for a high five. "Damn girl, good for you! What did the bastard do, cheat on you?" Emma looked confused when Ruby didn't high five her back.

"Oh no, he didn't do anything like that. He would never do that to me. We just…we just weren't meant to be together." Ruby took a large swig of her wine at the end of her confession.

Emma leaned forward and took Ruby's hand in hers. "Oh Ruby you don't believe that. You loved him, I can tell."

Ruby felt the tears forming in her eyes. "I did love him, I still do. He was like me Emma, you know, like me," She hoped Emma would catch onto her hinting at the fact that she meant that they were both wolves. It took a second, but Emma's eyes widened in realization.

"No way! That's awesome, but then, why weren't you guys meant to be?"

Ruby had asked herself that question a million times since she had left and at this point she didn't even know. She had thought that they couldn't be together because they were from two different worlds. She had been questioning whether she even wanted to go back to her world if the opportunity presented itself. If it really hurt this much to be on the other side of the country from him then she didn't want to experience how awful it would be to be a whole world apart from him. God, why did she even do it?

"I honestly have no idea." She admitted. "I thought it was because we were from two separate worlds and we weren't even meant to be together in the first place, but now that just seems stupid. I think I was scared, scared that someone actually loved me. Because he loved me Emma, I even told him who I really was, where I was really from, and he still loved me. You should have seen him when I broke up with him. He looked crushed. Why did I do that to someone who loved me?"

Ruby was completely hysterical. Emma practically had to carry her home and tuck her into bed.

The next day was awful. After Ruby had come to the realization of how stupid she was for dumping Derek she basically slipped into a depression. She never went out. The only time she ever did was to go to work. When she was working she had to force a smile on her face and at the end of the day her cheeks hurt.

She thought about calling him. Telling him how sorry she was and how much she loved him. Begging him to take her back, but she was scared. He probably hated her. He had finally started trusting people again after what Kate had done to him and she had just erased all of his progress. He wouldn't answer the phone if she called. He would ignore it and she would deserve it. She couldn't pack up and leave again either. She had a diner and an inn to run. She always imagined him randomly waltzing through the door of the diner one day, sweeping her off her feet, but that wouldn't happen in a million years.

She made sure to wear her cloak around a full moon. She could at least keep that promise to Derek. She didn't feel comfortable letting that side of her out without him around to protect her. She really didn't have much to worry about in this town. There were no hunters here like there were in Beacon Hills, but she still didn't feel safe.

It was a pretty packed day at work when James busted in with the biggest smile on his face. He alerted everyone that they had found a way to get back to the Enchanted Forest. Ruby's body went numb. She didn't even listen to his explanation of how they discovered a way back to their world, she was too consumed by the fact that she could actually go back.

The diner broke out into a frenzy. Everyone was buzzing about finally being able to go home. Ruby didn't feel the same way though. Everyone had stuff to go back to, but she didn't. Now that Granny was gone she had no one left. Sure, she had friends like Snow and Emma, but they both had their family. She was literally alone not just in this world but in her own. They all left the diner to get their stuff together, leaving Ruby frozen in her spot behind the counter. She started cleaning up all the plates and cups that were left behind. They weren't coming back, but she didn't want to leave a big mess. Emma came in a few hours later.

"Wouldn't you rather be getting ready to leave than clean up this diner? It won't matter if this place is dirty. There won't be anyone here to care."

Ruby started fiddling with her thumbs and she chewed on her lip. Emma instantly caught onto her resilience.

"Ruby, you're not planning on staying here are you?" Emma said stepping closer.

Ruby sighed and dropped her hands to her sides."Emma, you have Henry and now you've been reunited with your parents. You have people to go back with, but I don't, not really. Now that Granny's gone I have no family left. There's nothing for me in that world anymore. I know it sounds strange, but I can't see myself living there anymore."

Emma shook her head and took Ruby's hands in hers.

"You can't be serious. You have a family Ruby. We can be your family." Emma tried to convince her, but it wasn't working.

"Emma, you know it's not the same. I lost Peter a long time ago and I've lost Granny too. But you know who is here in this world? Derek, he's here and I know he loves me, or at least I hope he still does. I can go back to him if he will still have me. If he doesn't take me back I'm pretty sure I can find something to do, but I can't go back Emma, I just can't."

Emma pulled her in for a hug and they both stood there for a few minutes. This were going to be their last moment together.

She had hugged everyone goodbye, even Leroy, and by the time she was finished her arms felt like they were going to fall off. She watched them as they slowly faded away out of sight into her old world. It was odd calling it that, but at the same time it sounded fitting. That really was her old world. She was now permanently in her new and only world.

It was weird being in a completely empty town. She had no idea what to do. Should she just pack up and leave? Did she need to tidy anything up? What was going to happen to the inn and the diner? She thought it was best to just leave the place behind completely. No one had really come to Storybrooke in the first place so there was no need to be concerned.

She did decide to keep the deed to the diner and the inn though, just in case she needed them one day. She had to search among stacks and stacks until she finally found the papers. That was all she needed from this place. She grabbed the keys and headed to the front to lock up for good. As she walked through the kitchen door she froze. She saw a dark haired man in a black leather jacket standing behind the counter. It was Derek.

It was like one of those slow motion scenes in the movies when the two lovers were finally reunited. She dropped everything she was holding and ran into his arms, nuzzling her face into his neck. When she finally faced him he moved forward and kissed her right on the lips. Her body hummed with excitement and when she pulled back she had the widest smile on her face.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" She asked breathless.

Derek was looking at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. Like he couldn't believe that she was real.

"You didn't leave. I can't believe you didn't leave." He grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her senseless again. When she pulled away he brushed her cheek with his thumb lovingly.

"I couldn't leave Derek. There was nothing there for me. You weren't there." Ruby admitted.

"But what about you saying we weren't meant to be together?" Derek asked confused.

Ruby shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body in shame.

"It was stupid of me to think that. I think I was just scared. No one had ever really loved me before, not like the way you do. I was afraid that something would inevitably go wrong along the way and I would end up alone and broken again."

Derek brought her in his arms and held on to her tight.

"Granny's gone Derek. She died 3 days after I got back. I didn't even get to apologize for leaving. I'm all alone." Ruby wept into his shoulder. He let go of her and brushed the hair out of her face.

"I'm sorry Ruby. I know how much you loved her, but you're not alone, you still have me." He told her.

Her eyes grew wide in shock.

"You mean you still want me?" She managed to choke out.

He chuckled at her question. "Of course I still want you. That's why I came here actually," He walked away from her and started pacing back and forth, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "I did something stupid and you can totally slap me for it if you want to," he started rambling.

_What on earth had he done? _Ruby thought to herself.

"You didn't break out of jail to come get me did you? The cops aren't looking for you right now are they?" Ruby panicked.

He waved his hands frantically.

"No, I mean, yes I broke out of jail, but that's not the point and it's been taken care of." He told her as if it was nothing.

She started breathing heavily. He had broken out of jail to come find her and the cops could be here any minute. Would she get in trouble if they came while he was here? She would probably be charged with harboring a fugitive. She was about to scold him when he interrupted her.

"That's beside the point. I bought Vivian's diner. I bought it for you so that you could move Granny's diner to Beacon Hills. I know, it's incredibly selfish of me and I would totally understand if you didn't want to, but I need you Ruby and seeing as there's no one here anymore I was hoping that was a possibility." He looked at her hopefully waiting for an answer. He didn't get one in the form of words, but Ruby ran towards him and knocked him down landing on top of him and planting kisses all over his face.

She couldn't believe it. No one had ever done something for her like that. She didn't have to worry about finding someplace else to live or working some dead end job. She would be able to continue running Granny's diner and be with the man she loved.

"That's not stupid or selfish Derek, that's the most amazing thing anyone has ever done for me. I would love to move Granny's diner to Beacon Hills. I'd be able to keep my promise to her and be with you, it's perfect. I love you." Ruby gushed.

"I love you too Ruby." He told her.

They were silent for a while, basking in the love of their reunion, when Ruby remembered something Derek had deferred from really answering.

"Wait. Please explain to me how you broke out of jail." She wasn't going to let him get away with not telling her.

Derek groaned. "Do I have to? Everything's been taken care of. That was months ago, it's all water under the bridge." He tried to avert from the conversation.

"Nope, you're not getting away from this one. I have to make sure that I'm not harboring a fugitive." She demanded.

Derek huffed and ran his hand over his face. "Well after my, um, outburst at the airport, they threw me in the holding cell. So I called the only person I felt I could trust, but Scott isn't 18 so he couldn't bail me out. He brought Stiles with him and Stiles was able to steal the keys, so they broke me out. But Stiles talked to his dad and it's all taken care of, I'm not a wanted man anymore I assure you." He explained.

_Oh, thank god. _She thought to herself.

"You know, it's kind of sexy that you broke out of jail." She ran her finger down his chest, playfully looking up at him.

"Yeah?" He asked eagerly.

She nodded her head and leaned in to kiss him.

"So there's no way you can get back to your world right? Like that gateway is closed or whatever?" He asked.

"Nope, you're stuck with me." Ruby giggled.

"Damn." Derek said sarcastically. She slapped his chest playfully.

She couldn't wait go back home with Derek, but for now she was just fine lying in his arms knowing that there was no place else she would rather be.

* * *

**I know, I killed Granny and I'm sorry :( **

**All that's left is the epilogue  
**

**Please review :)  
**


	12. Epilogue, Part 1: A Little Getaway

**I know I said the next chapter was going to be the epilogue, but while I was writing it, it became this humongous monster and I felt that I needed to split it up. The epilogue will now be told in three separate parts.**

**Little tidbit I found out this past week, I share my birthday with Tyler Hoechlin :)  
**

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

It took weeks for the diner to reopen. Ruby wanted an exact replica of Granny's diner and Derek was going to give it to her. He wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible. She had chosen him over her world after all. He was going to do everything in his power to make her happy.

People were a little wary at first. When something that has been in a town for years changes, people can be a slightly standoffish. Eventually they came around and grew to love Granny's diner. The pack came on opening day to show support. Lydia was there with Jackson as well as Stiles, Scott, and shockingly, Allison. When she walked through the door hand in hand with Scott, Derek was thrown. Scott gave him a shrug and a wink. If Scott was happy then Derek would be happy for him. He was the one that pushed Derek to get Ruby back after all, so he was glad that Scott had gotten his happy ending as well.

Ruby was a lot busier now as she was not only serving at the diner, but running it as well. That didn't keep Derek from seeing her though, he would check on the diner when he felt necessary, he was the owner after all. They fell into a comfortable pattern, going to work and coming home together, just enjoying their time with one another.

They didn't have to hide from one another during a full moon anymore. He finally allowed her to see him transform. She was a bit frightened at first, but she knew he wouldn't harm her. She marveled at the change. She ran her fingers over his face, the sharp ends of his fangs, the points of his ears, and the nails on his fingers.

"You're like my own little puppy." She giggled.

Derek's jaw dropped in offense. "A puppy? You're the one that actually turns into a full on wolf. You're more like a dog than I am!" He said defensively.

She scratched the back of his ears. He growled and tackled her on to the bed. He put an end to that conversation.

* * *

After months and months of grueling work, Derek was practically begging Ruby to take some time off. He could see how exhausted she was, but every time he brought it up she told him it would be disastrous if she left.

One morning she had forgotten her cell phone at home. Derek had nothing to do that day so he brought it to her before the diner opened. Before he made it to the door to her office he heard sobbing. He stealthily opened the door so she wouldn't know he entered. He found her with her head down on the table, sobbing to herself surrounded by piles upon piles of papers.

"Ruby, are you okay?" He asked concerned.

His voice alerted her of his presence and her head popped up almost instantly. She tried to wipe the evidence of tears from her face, but that just made her make-up smear.

"No." She replied through sobs.

He walked over to her, turned her chair so that she was facing him, and squatted down in front of her with his hands on her knees.

"Baby, what's wrong?"

She started sobbing again and couldn't even get the words out. He rubbed her arm to calm her down. After a couple minutes she had stopped sobbing and her breathing had returned to normal.

"The diner, it's so much work. I don't think I can handle it. What if I fail? Granny entrusted me with this and I'm doing a horrible job." Ruby vented.

Derek shook his head. "Granny would have never trusted you with the diner if she didn't think you could handle it and you're not doing a horrible job, you're doing amazing. This place is packed everyday from opening until closing. On weekends there's a line going out the door and around the block. You just have to believe in yourself like Granny did. Like I do."

He grabbed her hands and pulled her up so she was standing in front of him.

"Babe, you haven't not gone into the diner since it opened, you deserve some time off." He grabbed her hips and pulled her towards him, she instinctively wrapper her arms around his neck. He kissed her cheek and then placed his forehead against hers. "Plus, I'm more than positive the owner would be glad to give you a vacation." He adds with a wink.

She tapped the back of his neck with her fingers while she contemplated his proposition.

"Well, we have plenty of people working here now so it's not like they need me that much other than to supervise every once in a while and I bet Lydia would love to be in charge for once."

When Derek had first bought the diner some of the old waitresses quit. They couldn't deal with being under new management. They had to find new waitresses and Allison and Lydia were some of the first to volunteer.

"A vacation sounds like just what I need. Where did you have in mind?" Ruby asks.

Derek pulls an envelope out of his back pocket.

"Why don't you look and see." He teased.

She gave him a skeptical look and as she was opening it he hovered over her with a smirk on his face. He heard her gasp as she pulled two plane tickets out of the envelope.

"Oh my god Derek, we're going to Hawaii! I've always wanted to go there, it looks so beautiful!"

She jumped into his arms and her twirled her around the room, laughing at her reaction. Their vacation started early because Ruby left those papers on her desk and didn't go into work for the rest of the day.

Flying was easier this time around. She had Derek with her. She gripped onto his hand tightly when the plane took off, but once they were safely in the air she loosened her grip, but their finger stayed interlaced through the entire flight.

Ruby couldn't stand still once they had landed in Honolulu. The jet lag hit Derek big time and all he wanted to do was go to the hotel and sleep, but Ruby was unaffected by it and wanted to get to the beach as soon as possible.

"Derek, wake up. I want to the beach." She softly nudged his sleeping body.

He grunted in objection. "I'm tired, can't we just relax? The beach is like 5 feet away from our room, we can go whenever we want."

"But I'm not tired and I've never been to the beach before. Please, Derek." She whined.

She tried tugging him out of bed, but he just groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Fine, I guess you'll have to wait until later to see the swimsuits Lydia helped me pick out." She tempted him. She knew she had gotten his attention when he sprang out of bed and started throwing clothes out of their suitcases, looking for her new swimsuits. When he had basically emptied the suitcase and found nothing he turned to her with a pout on his face.

"I didn't find any. Did you just say that to get me out of bed? Because that's just wrong."

She giggled at his disappointment and started walking backwards towards the bathroom.

"No, I have them. I bought one for each day we're here to be exact. Maybe I could put on a little show for you so that you can help me choose which one to wear." She said flirtatiously with a wink.

Derek thought about her suggestion for a couple seconds. Ruby was confused as to why he was actually giving that much thought to it. She thought he would have jumped at the opportunity to have her try on several skimpy bathing suits in front of him.

"How about you surprise me instead." He suggested.

She certainly wasn't expecting that. This was going to be fun.

"Hmmm, I think I have one in mind that you'll love." She gave him a quick peck and disappeared into the bathroom.

Derek sat on the edge of the bed while he was waiting for her to emerge. It had only been a couple minutes and Derek was already regretting his decision. He just wanted to see his girlfriend in a sexy little bikini that Lydia had probably talked her into getting. Why on earth had he thought being surprised would be better than actually seeing her scamp around in tiny bikini's for him? He really needed to stop thinking and just start agreeing with whatever Ruby said. His ideas just always made things more difficult.

He heard the door open and his heart started racing. He couldn't wait to see what she had picked out to surprise him. He hoped it was red. Red looked so sexy on her.

When she stepped into the room he was certainly surprised, but not in a good way. Her body was covered by a white terry cloth cover up.

"Babe, what is that? I thought you were supposed to surprise me with the sexy bathing suit you were going to wear." He complained.

She sauntered over to him and straddled his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked down at him with a smirk.

"I was thinking about it and I thought it would be more fun to surprise you when we actually got to the beach. If I wore one of them in here you probably would never let me leave." She giggled.

He groaned in frustration as she got up and led him out the door towards the beach. For some reason the beach he had just mentioned that was 5 feet from their room seemed further away. He couldn't have walked fast enough. He had gotten to the shoreline and had set everything up by the time Ruby had caught up with him.

"Someone's eager." Ruby commented.

Derek was on the towel, sitting at attention. He looked like a puppy waiting for a treat.

"Well, we're on the beach now. I want to see my surprise." He demanded.

Ruby rolled her eyes and started to teasingly pull off her cover up.

"Ruby," He whined impatiently. She was going too slowly for his liking.

Ruby caught on to his inpatients and decided she had put him through enough torture. She swiftly lifted the cover up off of her body to finally reveal her bathing suit to him. His heart nearly stopped beating at the sight of her standing in the tiniest red bikini he had ever seen. If she had been damn sexy in her Red Riding Hood costume then he didn't even know how to describe this look on her. He was too busy imagining himself taking it off of her that he hadn't realized she was already waist deep in the ocean.

"Derek, aren't you going to join me?" She bats her eye lashes and crooks her finger for him to come towards her.

He shook himself out of his daydream, threw his shirt off, and sprinted into the water. Ruby squealed when the splashes of water hit her. When he had caught up to her he had a mischievous look on his face. He swiped his arm under her knees and picked her up bridal style which earned a shriek from her.

"No Derek, don't you even think about it." She warned.

He just gave her a smile and threw her into the water. He was laughing so hard that he hadn't heard her resurface. He also wasn't able to see her lunge at him, knocking him into the water as well. They spent the next couple hours running around, splashing water at each other. Ruby had thought Derek was right behind her when she felt stinging on her lower leg.

"Derek, whatever you're doing can you stop, it really hurts."

His voice came from further off than she had expected. "Babe that's not me, I think you ran into some jellyfish."

She looked down at the crystal clear water and saw that his assumption was right. She was surrounded by jellyfish. She screamed in horror and shook her hands frantically.

"Derek, they're all around me! Help me!" She shrieked.

Derek had to carry her all the way to the shore. He got some jell for the stinging from one of the vendors and got her a mojito that would hopefully calm her down, but she refused to go back into the water.

"Come on Ruby, it's not that bad." Derek complained.

"No, I'm not going back out there. Those things are all over the place and they hurt." She whined back.

Derek threw his arms up in frustration and started walking back towards the ocean. "Fine, whatever, stay here, but I'm going back in." He yelled back.

He left her happily sipping at her mojito, soaking in the sun.

Wading out in the water by himself and looking at the horizon gave him a moment to think about how his life had changed so drastically in the past year. It's like his life had done a complete 180. He had started off the year basically alone and he couldn't trust anybody. Now he was with someone he loved, who shockingly loved him back, and his pack was tighter than ever. He thought it would scare him to really look back on it, but it just made a smile form on his face. He turned around to see Ruby waving enthusiastically at him. He chuckled and walked back to shore. He was greeted by what seemed to be a very intoxicated Ruby jumping into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist, and planting a forceful kiss on his lips. He knew she was drunk and that he should have stopped this before anything had even started, but his body reacted instinctively as he lowered her onto the towel so that he was hovering over her. He started planting open mouth kisses down her neck.

"Mmmm Derek I missed you." Ruby moaned seductively. Her fingers trickled down his toned stomach until they were at the waistband of his swim trunks. He immediately pulled away.

"Whoa Ruby, how much have you had to drink?" He asked.

"I only had like two." She may have said two, but she was holding up three fingers. "Plus, haven't you always wanted to have sex on the beach? Isn't it like a must for anyone who is a couple? It's actually on my bucket list." She drunkenly rambled.

"Oh so you have a bucket list now?" He teased.

She nodded and bit her lip. "Mmmm hmmm, I thought that since I'm going to stay in this world I might as well see and do everything that it has to offer and I want to check that off of it right now." She said as she bopped him on the nose.

He shook his head at her drunkenness. He got up and threw her over his shoulder. He definitely wasn't about to get down and dirty with his girlfriend where everyone could see them no matter how sexy she looked right now.

"Derek, where are we going?" She whined.

"I think someone needs another dunk in the water." He said as he carried her towards the ocean.

She started wiggling and hitting him on the back. "You better put me down right now or I swear, during the next full moon I will not wear my cloak!" Her warning was muffled by Derek covering her mouth with his hand. Her warning may have been cut off, but her scream when he had thrown her in the water was heard loud and clear. She emerged from the water with a pout on her face.

"Oops, did I do that?" He said mockingly.

She got up, splashed a huge wave of water at him, and stomped towards the shore.

"Awww come on babe, I was just messing around." He chased after her.

When she reached the shore he thought she would just plop down on the towel and continue pouting, but instead she kept going back to their hotel room. Uh oh, looks like he really pissed her off. Unfortunately he couldn't just chase after her. He had to collect all of their things and pay the waiter for all of the drinks Ruby had gotten. When he returned to the room he found Ruby lying on the bed, facing away from him. He crawled onto the bed and attempted to wrap his arms around her, but she shoved him away.

"Baby, I'm sorry. You can't be that mad at me, I was just having a little fun." He apologized.

He got no response and he probably wasn't going to get one until after she was finished with her little tantrum. She could be so stubborn sometimes. He rolled over to lie on his back and he turned the T.V. on. He put his arms behind his head and sighed deeply. If he knew Ruby, which he obviously did, she was going to be like this for a while, so he decided to make himself comfortable. He was only a couple minutes into Iron Chef when he heard soft snoring coming from Ruby next to him. He peeked over her to see that she was sound asleep. He could take advantage of this situation to start putting together what he had planned for tonight. Hopefully she would sleep off whatever frustration she had for him and be able to enjoy the special surprise he had for them tonight.

He had called the hotel ahead of time so that they could get everything that he needed to make tonight memorable. He turned off the T.V. and carefully crept out of the room so he wouldn't disturb Ruby. He was pleased that when he asked for the supplies at the front desk they had everything together for him. He thanked them and tipped them greatly. He really hoped that by the time Ruby woke up she would have forgiven him. He didn't want all of his hard work to go to waste.

* * *

Ruby woke up feeling groggy and disoriented. She rolled over and expected to feel Derek's warm solid body, but ended up hearing the crumpling of paper under her chest. She pulled the paper from under her and instantly noticed Derek's writing.

_If you're no longer angry with me I would love it if you would join me for dinner on the beach tonight. There's a dress hanging in the bathroom for you. Take all the time you need making yourself look beautiful, though, to me you're beautiful no matter what you're wearing. When you're finished, walk straight out to the beach, I will be there waiting for you._

_Love,_

_Derek_

Her smile grew more and more with every word she read. Her anger towards him was instantly forgotten. She shouldn't have even been angry with him in the first place, it was stupid and she probably deserved being tossed into the water. She shook her head in embarrassment when she looked back at how drunk she had gotten. She had suggested having sex with him right there, out in the open. She should never get drunk around Derek unless they were in the safety of their apartment. She turned into a crazy sex fiend whenever she drank around him.

She chose to leave those thoughts for later and her body tingled with excitement about her dinner with Derek. Dinner on the beach, it was so romantic. She stood frozen in the doorway of the bathroom when she saw the gorgeous gown Derek had bought for her hanging on a hook near the shower. It was a red silk, floor length, spaghetti strap gown. The neckline was low, but not low enough to reveal too much. It was simple yet breathtaking and Ruby thought it was perfect. She took it off the hook and carried to the bed in the other room. She clapped in excitement and ran back towards the bathroom to jump in the shower. She couldn't wait to see herself in it. She took the quickest shower she had ever taken in her life and quickly yet precisely did her makeup as close to perfect as possible. She didn't want to overshadow the dress, but her signature red lipstick was a must. Once she had her hair sleek and straight she slipped on the silky red dress. She gasped at her reflection in the mirror. She had never seen herself look more beautiful than she looked now. The dress fit her like a glove and she knew Derek would love it. The eagerness to see him had been growing since she had woken up. How long had he been waiting? She hoped it hadn't been too long.

Her hands were shaking as she held up her dress so she wouldn't get any sand on it. She was looking down at her feet, making sure she wouldn't step on anything gross, but when she looked up she locked eyes with Derek. Heat rose to her cheeks and her heart started beating a little faster when she saw how dashing he looked in his tux. She saw the smile grow on his face and the glistening in his eyes and she knew he thought she looked amazing as well. The waves crashed softly on the shore and the moon hung high in the night sky. When she was face to face with Derek he took her hands in his.

"Ruby, you….you look stunning." He told her. It was a struggle to get the words out because the sight of her had left him absolutely speechless. He lifted her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss.

"Why thank you. You look pretty suave yourself Mr. Hale." She flirted back.

He cupped her face in his hands and leaned forward to kiss her passionately. They were getting lost in the moment and Ruby had to pull away.

"Before we get too carried away, I want to have this wonderful dinner you worked so hard to set up." She stepped away from him and surveyed the scene in front of her. There were torches with flames burning planted in the sand around the table. There was a mat below the table that ran the length of the beach towards the water. There were a few throw pillows on top of it to make a comfortable place to lounge. The table was covered with rose petals. There were a couple candles to add more light, and a bottle of ice cold champagne. She was completely overwhelmed by the romantic setting. She had never experienced anything like it. She grabbed his hand and gave it a loving squeeze and looked back at him with a smile on her face.

"Derek, this is absolutely wonderful. I can't believe you did all of this for me." She wrapped her arms around his neck, he placed his hands on her hips, and she gave him a chaste kiss.

Derek pulled back with a smirk on his face and placed his forehead on hers. "So I take it you've forgiven me?" He asked hopefully. She giggled at his question.

"You were forgiven the moment I fell asleep. It was stupid of me to be mad at you. I was completely out of line and drunk, which ruined your day. I'm the one who should be apologizing." She looked down in embarrassment. Derek lifted her chin up with his finger so that he was looking at her.

"Let's just forget it ever happened and just enjoy tonight." He suggested.

"Okay." She smiled shyly and gave him on last peck on the lips.

He took her hand and guided her over to the table. While eating dinner they discussed what they would like to see and do with the week they still had in Hawaii. Ruby suggested learning how to surf and Derek admitted to already knowing how. She threw her napkin at him playfully.

"How come you never told me you knew how to surf? I'd rather have you teach me than some sleazy instructor they probably have here!" She complained.

"Well that can be arranged." He said with a wink.

Her eyes widened and expression changed to pure excitement. "You mean you'd be okay with teaching me how to surf?"

He chuckled at her question. "Of course I'd be okay with it. I wouldn't want you to learn from anyone but me." He reached across the table to pull her hand to his lips and gave it a kiss.

They continued talking about what else they wanted to do while they were on the island until they were finished with their food. When they were done, Derek pulled Ruby's chair out for her and took her hand to walk with her down to the shore. When they were at the water's edge he pulled her close to him and she rested her head on his shoulder, her nose nuzzling his neck. They started swaying back and forth, the waves acting as their music. Derek placed a sweet kiss on the top of her head.

"This has been absolutely amazing Derek. Coming here and relaxing is exactly what I need. I'm so thankful that you suggested it and I couldn't ask for anything more." She said with a sigh.

He started stroking her hair softly. "I'd do anything for you Ruby. I know how hectic work can be for you and this year hasn't been the easiest either, but I know that you can do it. You can run the diner, be successful, and make Granny so proud of you. And anytime you need to do this again I'll be right there booking the flight. We could go to somewhere as close as Malibu or as far as Paris. I would take you anywhere to make you happy." He comforted her. She looked up at him and he saw tears glistening on her cheeks. He pulled her face towards his and kissed the tears away.

"You would really do that for me?" She was completely taken back by his thoughtfulness.

He nodded and fused their lips together. The passion grew and he trailed his lips to just below her ear.

"You know, we could still check that thing off of your bucket list. We're all alone, no one will see us." He whispered. His voice laced with lust.

She gasped at his suggestion. "Derek, you can't be serious. I was totally drunk when I said that."

He moved his lips lower towards her collar bone and felt her shiver. "Yeah, but you know you want to." He teased, still trying to convince her. It seemed to work with the moan that escaped her mouth and her knees buckling beneath her allowing him to carry her over to the pillows on the mat and lie her down gently. He hovered above her and started trailing kisses to her shoulder. His hands moved up and down her sides until he found the zipper. He tugged on it, feeling the dress loosening itself from Ruby's body. His hands then moved to the straps of her dress and he looked in her eyes for reassurance. She nodded for him to continue and he pulled the dress down her body kissing her skin as it was revealed. Once it was completely off of her she was left in a pair of black lace panties. He marveled at the way her skin glowed in the moon light. Though it wasn't a full moon, he made sure to book the trip as far away from a full moon as possible. The moon was waning; about half way full.

Derek had more layers on than Ruby so he powered through getting his clothes off without haste. Like her, he was left in his grey boxer briefs. Before they went any further Derek caressed Ruby's face and looked deep into her eyes.

"I love you Ruby." He ran his thumb over her cheek.

"I love you too Derek." She cooed as her hands snaked over his shoulders.

They removed their last articles of clothing and then they were just skin to skin. They moved together like the movement of the ocean and their pleasure washed over them just like the waves crashing on the shore. They lay there afterwards, basking in the glow of the moon and the calming sounds of the water until Derek noticed Ruby shivering. He picked her up and carried her back to the room.

"But what about all of our things, shouldn't we clean up or something?" She asked as Derek placed her in their bed and crawled in behind her. He wrapped his arms around her chest, kissed her cheek, and nuzzled his face in her neck.

"No, I paid them plenty so that they would pick up everything. They'll probably leave our clothes by the porch outside of our door to the ocean. Don't worry about it and go to sleep." He explained

She snuggled in closer to him and in a couple minutes they were both fast asleep.

The next morning Ruby was just as eager as the day before. Derek had promised her that he was going to teach her how to surf and she was going to hold him to it. She still had to drag a reluctant Derek out of bed, but after yesterday's events he was a little more accommodating.

Of course she picked out a bright red surf board. He was going over how to hold your stance on a surf board when he noticed she wasn't really listening.

"Ruby, you need to be paying attention so that you know how to stand on the board." He scolded her.

She rolled her eyes. "I've been snowboarding. It's like the exact same thing so I think I'll be fine." She condescended.

"No actually, it's not the same thing. The water, unlike the earth, is moving beneath you. So pay attention, I don't need you wiping out and hurting yourself."

She huffed in frustration, but listened to his advice and paid attention to his instructions. Once he felt she was ready he took her out to the water. Helping her learn how to surf would have been easier if her bathing suit wasn't so damn distracting. Today she was wearing a black monokini with an extremely low neckline that ended at her belly button. He tried to focus on helping her stand up on the board, but every time he touched her his mind went somewhere else completely.

He was annoyed when Ruby actually did find standing on the surf board second nature.

"I guess you had a pretty good teacher when you were learning how to snow board."

"Oh yeah, Kyle was great!" She said enthusiastically.

Jealousy hit Derek like a ton of bricks. Who the hell was this Kyle guy?

"Kyle must have been a real expert, like someone who has been snowboarding his whole life." He fished her for more information.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't say he was an expert, I mean, he told me he had been snowboarding all of his life since his father owned a resort in Colorado. So if snowboarding for 20 or so years makes you an expert than maybe he was." Ruby was sitting straddling the board kicking her feet. She noticed Derek giving his board a death grip and that's when it hit her.

"Wait, Derek. Are you jealous?" She asked sounding shocked.

His head snapped up instantly. "What? No. Why on earth would I be jealous? I mean, unless there's something for me to be jealous about. There's nothing for me to be jealous about right?" He was rambling and he was positive Ruby could tell he was jealous.

"Derek, there's nothing for you to be jealous about. He was just a nice guy who taught me how to snowboard." She assured him.

He took a deep breath of relief.

"He did try to kiss me though." She added.

Derek's board snapped in his hands. "He tried to kiss you? What the hell!"

Ruby got off of her board and swam towards him. She felt the heat from his anger radiating off of him and she heard his heart beating faster. She placed her hands on both sides of his face to force him to face her. Shit, his eyes had already started glowing red.

"Derek, look at me." His eyes darted to her. He was breathing very heavily. "If I tell you there's nothing to be jealous about than there's nothing to be jealous about. I said he tried to kiss me. The key word is tried, I didn't let him. Plus that was before I even met you. You have nothing to worry about Derek. I'm with you and only you. I love you."

His eyes had returned to their normal color and his breathing had become calm. He looked down at the broken board underneath him, looks like he wasn't getting that rental money back. Then he turned to look at Ruby. He met her wide eyes and instantly regretted his reaction.

"I'm sorry Ruby. It was stupid of me to feel jealous. Of course there were other guys before me, I should know that. It's just the thought of you being with another guy the way you're with me, it just irritates me." He said through gritted teeth.

Ruby shook her head and caressed his cheek. "Derek, you know I've only been with one other guy before you and you know we weren't even close to being the way that I am with you."

Derek nodded in agreement and got off what was left of his board.

"Now, let's go get you another board so I can kick your ass properly." Ruby said with a wink before racing him to the shore.

When they got to the surf board stand the guy at the counter didn't look too happy at the broken board, but the fact that Derek was buying another one made up for it. Ruby and Derek went back into the water so that Ruby could actually try riding her first wave. She only wiped out a few times before she was riding them like a pro. Now it was time for Derek to show off. A huge wave was rolling in and he had to take it to impress Ruby.

"Why don't you sit this one out and let the real experts show you how it's done." He smirked at her.

He paddled away from the wave until he could feel it creeping up behind him. He crouched up onto his board and stood up straight. He was a bit wobbly at first, but once he got control of the board he was completely riding the wave all the way to shore. When he had gotten off the board and was wading in the water, he turned to see Ruby jumping up and down and clapping her hands in approval. His chest swelled with pride. _I bet Kyle never got that reaction from her_ he thought to himself.

They spent the rest of the day surfing and enjoying the day trying to one up each other until he could tell Ruby was exhausted. It was around dinner time anyways, so Derek and Ruby went back to the room, but once she was there Ruby didn't feel like leaving. She was too tired so they ordered room service and spent the rest of the night cuddling and contently watching whatever movie was on T.V.

Most of their vacation was the same. They would go to the beach and enjoy the water, whether by surfing or just wading in it. Other days they went sightseeing. Ruby insisted on taking a million pictures, she didn't want to miss a second of it. One day Derek even signed them up for a scuba diving excursion. He had never seen Ruby more relaxed and carefree than she was on this vacation. He was almost worried that she wouldn't want to leave and his assumptions were correct because on the day they were set to leave he literally had to pry her fingers from the door frame to their hotel room.

She looked out of the window with a pout on her face. When he sat down next to her he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I know leaving this place and going back to your hectic and busy life sucks, but remember what I told you the first night we were here, if you ever feel stressed and you need to get away just tell me and we will be out of there before anyone even notices. We can go all the way to the other side of the world if we have to, just as long as you're happy."

He kissed her temple and she snuggled into his chest.

"I know that you would do anything for me Derek, but you should know that it's not the place that matters to me, it's that I'm with you. That's what makes it special. I just want to be wherever you are and that will make me happy."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the first part of the epilogue :)**

**Remember, reviews are always welcome and very much appreciated.  
**


	13. Epilogue, Part 2: A Promise Of Forever

**Here's part two of the epilogue. I hope you like it :)**

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time.  
**

* * *

Returning to their lives was a rude awakening, but it was inevitable. Their trip to Hawaii had inspired Ruby to try out some new recipes in the diner and they were well received by the customers. Things were working out well for Derek too. The Argent's had backed off now that Allison was dating Scott again and the Alpha pack had left just as silently as they had arrived. Their lives flowed on so nicely that almost out of nowhere they were celebrating 2 years of being together.

Derek was sitting with Jackson at the warehouse, chatting after a vigorous training session about what he should get Ruby for their 2 year anniversary.

"Why don't you get her a nighty made of the same material as her cloak so she doesn't have to cover up the goods, I know how you are always complaining about that." Jackson suggested.

Derek punched him in the arm. "It doesn't cover up anything, it just….gets in the way sometimes. Plus, that thing is made with magic and although this world has its supernatural tendencies, we don't have magic." Derek informed him.

"Well, you can never go wrong with jewelry. Girls eat that shit up." Jackson said before taking another swig of his beer.

Jackson had a point. Every time Derek had gotten Ruby jewelry before she had showered him with kisses. He contemplated what he would get her and the more he thought about it the more he enjoyed the vision he got of her wearing a specific piece of jewelry.

"You know you're right. Do you mind coming with me tomorrow to help me pick something out?" He asked Jackson.

"Sure man, I'll bring Lydia along too. It'll probably help to have a girls' opinion." Jackson finished off the last of his beer and got up to leave. "Well, I've got to go. I have an early game tomorrow, scouts are coming from UCLA. I'll see after the game though man." Jackson saluted Derek and left.

Derek was a bundle of nerves the next day. He already hadn't been able to get to sleep the other night; his mind racing with the thoughts of what he was buying the next day. Ruby had gotten up at 6 to go into work early which in turn meant Derek was up early as well. He knew Jackson's game wasn't until 9 and that meant they probably wouldn't be going to the mall until about noon. It was going to be a long day and Ruby wasn't unaware of his strange behavior. She reached over the breakfast table to touch his hand and he jumped back as if someone had electrocuted him.

"Derek, are you okay? You've been acting really strange ever since you got home last night." Ruby asked concerned.

He shook his head and waved her off. "I'm fine. I just don't feel very well." He said, hoping it sounded convincing and by the sorrowful look in her eyes it did.

"Do you want me to stay home today because I totally can?" She placed her hand over his forehead to see if he felt warm.

"No!" He yelled making her pull her hand of his forehead and jump back in shock. "I mean no," he said more calmly. "I'll be fine. You just go into to work. I'll probably just sleep all day anyways." He assured her.

She got her things and the keys off of the hook, then opened the front door. "Okay, well call me if you need anything. Love." She said.

"Love." Derek said back.

She blew him a kiss and closed the door behind her.

Derek ran his hands through his hair vigorously. Maybe a shower would shed a good amount of time off the clock? Unfortunately it only lasted 30 minutes. He tried to draw it out as long as possible, but his mind kept drifting to different scenarios of how this could go wrong. Then he thought a drive would do him better. Once he had started driving he got lost in the curves of the roads and the scenery of the woods that he almost missed the call from Jackson telling him to meet him at the mall.

* * *

He tapped his fingers impatiently on the glass cases holding all the different types of jewelry. Lydia pointed and a set of diamond encrusted bangles in the back of the case.

"Bangles are in right now and those are absolutely to die for. Ruby would love them." She insisted.

Derek rubbed the back of his neck. He needed to get his shit together and just go for what he really wanted, no more procrastinating.

"No, that's not what I really had in mind. I was think of something more like," He took a couple steps to the side so that he was in front of the case full of engagement rings. "This."

Lydia gasped and covered her mouth with her hand in shock while Jackson had a lost look on his face.

"Oh my god Derek, are going to ask Ruby to marry you?" Lydia asked excitedly.

The realization finally hit Jackson. "Whoa dude, are you serious?"

Derek smiled at their reactions and nodded his head. Lydia ran forward and enveloped Derek in a hug.

"Oh Derek, I just know she'll yes." She assures him.

Jackson walked towards him and held his hand out for him to shake, but once Derek shook it Jackson pulled him in for a hug.

"Congratulations man." Jackson patted him on the back and then stepped back.

"Don't congratulate me yet, she hasn't said yes." Derek reminded him.

"But she will." Jackson told him with a wink.

He turned to face the rings and Lydia slammed her hands on the glass case like a woman on a mission.

"Okay, we need to keep in mind the 4 c's: color, cut, clarity, and carat. These are the most important factors in picking a ring," Lydia started ranting. Derek looked a Jackson who was rolling his eyes. Derek didn't really care about listening to whatever Lydia was saying. He would know the right ring when he saw it.

They spent the next couple hours looking at different colors and style of cuts, but Derek had turned all of them down, much to Lydia's dismay. Ruby had texted him periodically to check on how he was feeling. In 2 hours she would be done with work and heading home so they had to wrap things up. Tomorrow was their anniversary and he didn't want to leave the store today empty handed.

Lydia was holding a ring Derek had just rejected in her hand, examining it thoroughly trying to find whatever flaw Derek apparently had seen in it.

"I don't understand why you don't like this one. It's 14k pink diamond, princess cut on a white gold band. Any girl would kill for this." She asked in blasphemy.

Derek ran his hands over his face and groaned in frustration.

"I just don't okay. I can just tell that that's not the ring for Ruby." Derek said through his angrily clenched jaw. He was just as irritated as she was. They had seen so many rings that it was giving him a headache. He was beginning to think this was hopeless.

The sales associate tapped her finger on the glass. "Maybe a diamond isn't what you are looking for. I think I know what you might have in mind. I'll be right back." She walked away from them to go to the back room. When the door closed behind her Lydia whipped her head around and snapped her fingers in front of both Derek and Jackson's faces to get their attention.

"If you don't find what you want in the next batch I say we call it a day and go someplace else tomorrow." She instructed Derek.

Derek threw his hands up in frustration. "Tomorrow is our anniversary! I only have today to look!" He bellowed.

"Well then stop being so picky." She said and smacked him on the arm.

They were forced to behave themselves when the sales associate came through the door carrying a large wooden box.

"Alright, hopefully this is more like what you're looking for." She said encouragingly.

When she lifted the lid of the box Derek's eyes were bombarded by a slew of colors. He thought that this lady had gotten it all wrong until his eyes zeroed in on a ring that caught his eye. It was a cushion cut ruby with diamonds on either side on a white gold band. Derek pointed directly at it.

"That's it. That's the one." He said with certainty.

Lydia held her finger up to the sales woman. "Could you give us a second?" She asked.

The woman nodded and walked off to see if she could help any other customers. Lydia's smiling demeanor changed in an instant to serious bitch.

"Really Derek, we spent hours looking at different rings and the moment she lifted the lid off the box you've found the one?" She fumed.

Derek shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. "I just saw it and knew it was the one. I mean, it has a Ruby on it for Christ sake. How perfect can you get?" He said bashfully.

"More like gaudy and cliché if you ask me." Lydia muttered under her breath towards Jackson.

"Babe," Jackson warned her giving a stern look.

"Fine, whatever, if you're sure than I'm positive Ruby will love it." Lydia said accepting defeat.

The sales woman returned with a cheeky smile on her face. "So is this the one?" She asked hopefully.

"Yep, this is the one." Derek said in agreement.

The woman clapped in approval and placed the ring in a navy blue velvet box. Derek left the store with a huge smile on his face. Even though he still had an hour until she got home he was practically breaking the speed limit due to his adrenaline rush. He almost broke the door down trying to get in the house. At first he had situated himself on the couch, trying to look casual, but then he remembered that he told her he would be sleeping all day. He rushed into the bedroom threw on the pj pants he had worn this morning and sprawled out on the bed. He had made sure to put the ring box in his pocket. He was keeping it as close to him as possible. He didn't need her finding it and ruining everything.

He ended up falling asleep, but was awoken by Ruby's lips brushing against his ear, whispering his name. His eyes fluttered open and he shifted so that he was facing her. She softly caressed his face.

"Are you feeling better?" She looked hopeful.

He nodded and snuggled closer to her. "Much better. Sleep was just what I needed." His voice was still laced with sleep.

"Good. Hey, do you mind if we order Chinese tonight, I feel as tired as you look."

* * *

He nodded and kissed her neck. She easily slipped from his arms to order the food. He just had to keep it together tonight and most of tomorrow. Hopefully he could do it without completely losing his mind.

Ruby was basically shoving her last customer out the door, figuratively of course. She had decided to close the diner early since she was celebrating her anniversary with Derek tonight and this guy was seriously taking forever to finish his burger. When he stuffed the last measly piece in his mouth she all too eagerly took the plate from him and placed the check on the table. By the time she had put the plate in the sink and returned to the table the man was already gone having paid in cash and left a pretty nice tip even though Ruby was positive she had been hovering.

Derek had promised to be out of the apartment so that she could get ready without him seeing. He would pick her up when it was time for them to go to dinner. She had chosen to wear a tight purple bodycon dress with black pumps. She wore her hair down in voluptuous curls. She was touching up her lip gloss when Derek knocked on the door. When she opened the door his jaw dropped and his eyes darkened with lust. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her flush to him.

"You look simply irresistible." He purred in her ear. She giggled in response.

If he thought she looked irresistible now he wasn't going to know what to do with himself when he saw part two of her gift. Part one was hidden by the house. She was surprised that he hadn't found it yet, but she wasn't complaining.

"We can continue this later tonight, we have a reservation and we don't want to be late." She reminded him.

He groaned in disappointment, but he knew she was right.

Derek had reserved a table at a restaurant by the beach. Ruby loved it because it reminded her of their trip to Hawaii. The dinner was wonderful, but they were all too eager to leave. When they got back to her apartment Derek practically dragged her out of the car, but she had to stop him if he was going to get the first half of his present.

"Okay, wait right here and close your eyes. No peeking!"

Derek did what he was told and waited patiently. He heard something rolling across the grass and Ruby's heavy panting.

"Ugh, I shouldn't have done this in heels." He heard her mutter, her voice sounding rather close. Seconds later he heard the clacking of heels on the sidewalk.

"Okay, open your eyes." She instructed him.

His eyes shot open in anticipation and he almost stumbled back in shock.

"Babe, you got me a Ducati!" He ran towards the red bike and ran his hands over the handle bars to the end of the leather seat. He turned to Ruby and gave her a million watt smile. He surprised her by picking her up by the waist and spinning her around. She slid down his body until her feet were planted on the ground and he kissed her enthusiastically.

"Thank you baby." He gave her another peck on the lips.

"I'm not done yet. Come inside for your part two." She gave him a wink and sashayed through the door to their apartment. She barely made it through the door when Derek scooped her up over his shoulder and sprinted to the bedroom, gently dropping her down on the bed.

"If you rush this you won't get to enjoy the second half of your present. I'm sorry to make you do this again, but wait right here." She gave him a quick kiss and scampered to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Derek groaned and fell onto the bed below him. It took slightly longer to get his second present, but like the first it was worth the wait. She stepped out of the glow of the bathroom in a metallic lace teddy that forced him to catch his breath. She slowly sashayed towards him, her hips swaying seductively from side to side. She straddled his lap and placed her arms around his shoulders.

"Happy Anniversary." She whispered sweetly. She kissed her way down his neck, but felt him push her away.

"You should, um, put on your cloak."

Her eyes squinted at his odd request.

"It's not even a full moon and isn't the point to take clothes off, not put clothes on?" She questioned.

"It is, but your cloak elevates your sexiness." His cheeks turned red at his confession.

She was flattered by the fact her found her cloak sexy. She slid off of him and walked to the closet to put on her cloak. She slipped it on and walked back towards him, but she felt something hit her leg. She reached inside the cloak to get to the pocket and pulled out a navy blue box. Her hands were trembling as she held it in front of her and they began to shake even more when she saw Derek kneeling in front of her. He took the box from her hands and opened it to reveal the most beautiful ring she had ever seen.

"Ruby, in the past two years you've made a new man out of me and I have to say I like him a lot better than the man I was before. I'm ashamed to admit that when I first met you I thought you had the wrong intentions for coming here, but my assumptions were instantly squashed the moment you flashed a smile my way." She heard his voice starting to shake and she could tell he was trying to hold it together. "I tried to fight it, but we were inevitable. The happiest moment of my life was when I came to Storybrooke and I found you. You hadn't gone back to your world, you stayed here for me, but that day can be the first of so many more if you say yes to this. Ruby, will you marry me?"

She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat so she nodded franticly. The biggest smile she had ever seen formed on his face and their shaking hands touch so he could slide the ring on her finger. He shot up to stand in front of her and kissed her with all of his might.

"I love you so much, Ruby." He told her.

"I love you too, Derek." She choked through happy sobs.

Ruby lay in bed the next morning examining the ring on her finger. The way the light bounced off of the jewels, how it fit so perfectly on her finger. It honestly hadn't hit her yet that she was engaged to Derek. He was curled up behind her with his arms wrapped around her waist. She assumed he was still asleep until he spoke up.

"Are you looking at it too?" He asked pulling her closer.

She shifted to face him, giggling as she turned around, and placed her hand on his heart. Her eyes were still glued to the ring on her finger.

"You caught me." She admitted bashfully. She inched closer and rested her head on his chest. "It truly is beautiful Derek."

"Then it matches you perfectly. I thought of you the moment I saw it." He stroked her hair gently and placed a kiss on the top of her head. He shifted below her and got out of bed. "I'm going to go take a shower, care to join me?" He asked seductively.

She sat up and pulled her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I'll join you in a minute."

His smile vanished for a split second, but when she kissed him in reassurance it returned to its rightful place.

When Derek had gone to take a shower Ruby was left alone with her thoughts. When she had woken up this morning she was filled with so much joy an excitement that she had forgotten about reality. The first thing she thought about was how she couldn't wait to tell Emma or Mary Margaret or Ashley, that she was getting married. She had wanted to spring out of bed and run downstairs to Granny to tell her the good news. She wanted to see the smile on Granny's face when she realized that Ruby had finally found someone. Someone who was absolutely without a doubt the man she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. But with those thoughts came the unpleasant realization that she couldn't do that. She wouldn't be able to gush to them how romantic it was. She wouldn't be able to rely on Mary or Ashley for wedding advice. Granny wouldn't be there to walk her down the aisle.

Tears were openly streaming down her face and she let out a sniffle. She quickly wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. She didn't need Derek seeing her upset when she had just made him the happiest man in the world. She wasn't regretting her decision to marry Derek be any means, she just couldn't believe that the people that had been a part of her life wouldn't be there to witness the start of her new one. She chose to return to the happy thoughts of being engaged to Derek, forced a smile on her face, and got up to join Derek in the shower. She checked herself in the mirror to make sure there was no evidence of her crying. She was glad that steam had collected on the door of the shower because he couldn't really see her.

When she opened the door Derek jumped due to the introduction of cool air to the hot shower. He turned to her with a smile on his face.

"So you decided to join me? For a second there I thought I was going to have to shower all by myself." He chuckled.

Ruby just stepped forwards, wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his chest.

"Hey, are you okay?" Derek lifted her chin with his thumb and looked down at her with concern.

She gave him a faint smile. "I'm okay now." She stood up on her tip toes and gave him a kiss.

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**Next is part three and the final chapter in the story. **


	14. Epilogue, Part 3: Happily Ever After

**I don't own Teen Wolf or Once Upon A Time. **

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Allison and Lydia were just as excited as Mary or Ashley would have been when Ruby told them about her engagement. They were also thrilled when she told them that they could be her bridesmaids.

Planning for the wedding actually came quite easy. They knew it was going to be a small intimate ceremony with just their closest friends. They settled on a spring wedding because they wanted to make sure that all of their friends would be there. It would be their last time all together since everyone was going off to college. Jackson, Stiles, and Allison were all going to UCLA, Lydia was going to MIT, and Scott, Erica, Boyd, and Isaac were going to community college in Beacon Hills.

Another simple decision that was made was where the wedding was to be held. Derek insisted on having it held on the Hale property and Ruby thought that would be a beautiful place to have the wedding.

Picking out a wedding dress was one of the more difficult decisions to make. Ruby, Lydia, and Allison had spent months searching for a dress. It wasn't until the week before the wedding that they actually found the perfect dress. The top of the dress was a white satin bustier with a sweetheart neckline while the skirt of the dress was white tool with tiers of white satin ruffles on the bottom. She knew it was the one when not only she was speechless, but Lydia and Allison were as well.

Her bachelorette party was a whole other experience entirely. Ruby was beet red due to the stripper in a thong that was gyrating in front of her. She had seen movies where these situations happened and she had totally been prepared for it, or so she had thought. Thinking about it and sitting in the middle of the action were two completely different things. Lydia, Allison, and Erica were all openly cheering and throwing ones in the air while Ruby was hiding behind her hands. She was pretty positive Derek had gotten off easy by just a guys night out, drinking in the woods, which was true. Erica pushed another cosmo towards Ruby. She snatched it right out of Erica's hands and downed it in one gulp. If she was going to make it through this night she needed something to help her relax and let go. Getting drunk was her only option. Plus, it was the night before her wedding. Sue her for having a blast on her last night as an unmarried woman.

On the big day Ruby woke up with only a slight hangover, but that was overshadowed by the sheer excitement she felt due to the fact that it was her wedding day. But excitement quickly turned into anxiety when everything started falling apart. It all started when Ruby couldn't find her veil anywhere. She had spent hours searching for it, practically tearing the house apart. The girls followed her into every room screaming nonsense that she couldn't understand through her panicked thoughts. Erica finally had to force her to look in the mirror and that's when she saw that she had been wearing the veil the entire time. Things only got worse when she noticed her flowers had wilted and she was so flushed from nervousness that her face was permanently pink. Allison had left to go get another bouquet of red and white roses and assured Ruby that she would be back in time for the wedding. Thankfully, Ruby's skin had returned to its normal ivory tint and she was ready to go. They had to stop by the florist to pick up Allison, but as they were pulling out of the shop the driver noticed the limo had a flat tire. 3 makeup retouches and 30 minutes later they were back on the road to the Hale property.

Derek may have looked calm and collected as he stood there at the altar in front of everyone, but on the inside he was a jumble of a million different emotions. He was set even more on edge when Lydia had called Jackson to tell him that they were running a little late because of an incident with the limo. When Lydia, Allison, and Erica finally scampered down the aisle to their places Derek released a sigh of relief. That relief only lasted a few seconds because when the violinist started playing the wedding march his palms became sweaty and his heart started beating faster. His stoic stance had finally broken when he saw Ruby approaching. He fought to breathe as he took in the sight of the veil that was stuck in a bun of loose curls that sheathed her face. It was like a blink and you miss it moment. One moment she was at the end of the aisle and the next she was standing right in front of him taking his hands in hers. They exchanged vows they had written for one another promising to stay with each other through better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forever and ever. They solidified their pledges to one another with a kiss and cheers erupted all around.

There was a giant tent set up for the reception. Everyone was whispering about how in love Ruby and Derek looked. They didn't leave each other's side the entire night. All the moments from the first dance to the cutting of the cake were captured on camera and the pictures would be put in a photo album as a collective present from everyone. When it was time for the newlyweds to leave it was like they couldn't get out fast enough. They left with eager smiles on their faces and they were sent off with enthusiastic waves and hoots from their friends.

Ruby had told Derek that she didn't want anything too extravagant for their honeymoon, but of course he didn't listen. Ruby forced herself to detach from his lips when she realized the limo had stopped at the airport.

"Derek, I told you I didn't want anything outrageous." She whined.

Derek rolled his eyes and moved so Ruby would get off of him. "Oh come on Ruby, it's our fucking honeymoon, we just got married, we're supposed to celebrate! Trust me, you'll love it." He opened the door to the limo and as he walked out he turned around and held out his hand for Ruby to take, his eyebrow slightly raised in suggestion. Ruby threw caution to the wind and took his hand in which she earned a huge smile from him.

Derek went around the back to fish their suit cases out of the trunk. Derek tried his hardest to keep their destination a secret throughout the whole ordeal of checking in and going through security and succeeded all the way until the gate.

He heard Ruby gasp beside him. "We're going to Vancouver!" She started hoping up and down and jumped into his arms. She planted several kisses all over his face which left red lipstick smudges all over his cheeks. She could barely sit still while they waited for the plane to arrive.

Once they boarded the plane Derek was afraid that Ruby would be too hyped up with excitement, but the moment the plane was in the air she had passed out. They looked so out of place. He was still in his tux and she was still in his dress. The flight he had booked didn't give them any time to change and he hoped Ruby wouldn't be too made with him about it. He looked down at her sleeping on his shoulder. He could stare at her for hours, but the exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with him and he slipped into sleep, resting his head on top of hers.

He was torn out of his dreams of his impending honeymoon when the pilot announced their decent. He woke up Ruby by stroking her hair and planting a kiss on her head.

The cabin Derek had rented was right by the ski resort so they wouldn't have to travel far. He knew Ruby would love a chance to show off her snowboarding skills.

Derek carried Ruby through the threshold and all the way up the stairs into the bedroom. He gently placed her down on the bed and he hovered above her. He started placing kisses on her jaw and trailed them down her neck.

"Ugh, Derek, I look disgusting. I need to take a shower first." She groaned beneath him.

He placed a kiss on her cheek and looked straight at her. "You look beautiful and you're going to have to take a shower once we're finished anyways…" He kissed behind her ear and she moaned in appreciation. She flipped them over so she was on top and pulled the veil out her hair so her curls would fall loosely down her back. She gave Derek a playful smirk as she reached behind to unzip her dress. She had to get off of Derek to take the dress off completely. He sat up and watched her with intent and lust in his eyes as she seductively inched the gown down her body. She turned every which way, playfully teasing him with different views of her body as they were revealed. Once the dress had reached her legs she shimmed out of it completely and sauntered over to him once more.

"I stand corrected. Now you really look beautiful Mrs. Hale." He gave her a wink.

She straddled him and he placed his hand on her hips. "Mrs. Hale, I like it." She said, loving the sound of her new name.

"I do too." Derek leaned up and kissed her. Ruby giggled as he switched their position and was on top once more, slowly placing kisses down her body. Her shower didn't come for several hours later.

They didn't leave the cabin the next day, they barely left the bedroom. Every time Derek thought about the fact that he and Ruby were now married he couldn't keep his hands off of her. The feelings were mutual for Ruby. Calling him her husband just made him that much more sexy to her.

They were able to pry themselves from their room the next day and Ruby was able to show off her snowboarding skills. She passed him several times on the slopes, laughing maniacally at every pass. He was determined to beat her down the hill at least once and at one point he almost had. That was until his board snagged on a fallen branch and the tumbled down the hill. Ruby skidded to a stop next to him, sending snow flying everywhere.

"Baby, are you okay?" Ruby said sounding panicked.

Derek pushed himself up and tried to stand, but pain instantly shot through his leg and he winced.

"I think I broke it, but it'll heal in a few hours. Let's just go sit down and rest, maybe get something to eat?" He suggested.

Ruby helped him over to the lodge and they enjoyed hot chocolate and french fries together. It had only been an hour and Derek was up and ready to go. He still wanted to show her that he could beat her down the slope, which he ended up doing, but she may have let him beat her. She would never tell him that though.

The rest of their week long honeymoon was spent doing much of the same; snowboarding, sightseeing, and enjoying their time as a newlywed couple. Once again returning home was bittersweet, but they really couldn't wait to officially start their new life together.

When they returned home it was as if nothing had really changed, which was true except for the fact that they were financially tethered now. Everything was normal and time passed steadily. Soon it was time to say goodbye to those who were leaving Beacon Hills for college; Lydia, Allison, Jackson, and Stiles.

Life was kind of lonely for them once everyone was off doing their own thing. Of course they came around for holidays and Jackson had to check in every full moon, but not seeing them on a regular basis was strange. Derek especially missed them when his one year wedding anniversary with Ruby came around. It was paper for goodness sakes. How the hell was he supposed to come up with a present for Ruby that was made out of paper? Thankfully he thought of something just in time. He got her a set of stationary. She was always leaving notes for him when she left early for work or ran errands. She loved the pastel pink scalloped edged paper. In return she had presented him with the deed to the Hale Mansion. Peter had given it to her. He had felt Ruby and Derek could find more use for it than he could.

Later on when they were lying in bed Ruby was tracing Dereks' tattoo again.

"Still thinking of getting one like it?" He questioned.

Ruby giggled. "Oh no, I was just thinking of the meaning of it again. You had said it was like a cycle; alpha, beta, and omega. Each step was interchangeable. But now I think it could have another meaning."

Derek raised his eyebrows in curiosity. "Oh really, well what else do you think it could mean?" He asked.

She placed her finger in the center of the tattoo. "I was thinking that it could be different branches of one unit." She started tracing the top swirl. "Like a father," She returned to the center and then moved to the left swirl. "A mother," As she moved to the last swirl on the right her finger started getting jerky. "And a baby." Ruby lifter her finger from his back and silence fell on the room. When Derek finally understood what she was referring to he quickly flipped over to face her and placed his hand on her waist.

"Baby, are you saying you're pregnant?" He asked in shock, his voice slightly shaking in anticipation.

Ruby nodded her head. "Yes." She said through tears.

Derek moved his hand to her faced and pulled her forward to his lips for a kiss.

When they pulled apart Derek had a look of confusion on his face. "But…but how? I thought you were on birth control?"

Ruby propped her head up on her elbow so she was ready to explain. "I am, I mean, I was. A couple weeks ago I finished up a pack and I was supposed to get a refill, but the diner was super busy and then that one night we got a little carried away in my office….." A blush crept on her cheeks as she reminisced. "Are you upset? I mean, I know we hadn't really talked about having kids and this is kind of sudden…" Derek cut her off with a kiss.

"Of course I'm not upset. Yes, it is pretty sudden, we've only been married for a year, but I couldn't be happier right now. I mean, we're having a baby." A smile grew on his face and tears formed in his eyes. As he slowly kissed her his hand moved down to her stomach touching the non-existent bump. "How far along are you?" He asked once he pulled away.

"About 3 weeks. I went to the doctor today to confirm it. I haven't had any morning sickness, but I was late, so I bought a pregnancy test to make sure and when it came out positive I went to the doctor to make sure, and sure enough, I'm pregnant." Happy tears were streaming down her face now. Derek placed a couple kisses on her cheeks.

Derek instantly thought of the perfect idea. "Now that I have the deed to the mansion I can fix it up. I can fix it up and we can move in and raise our baby there together. What do you think?"

Ruby nodded furiously and started kissing him again. Derek became more forceful and started placing kisses elsewhere. He wanted to show Ruby how happy he really was.

The next day Ruby had found a note on Derek's pillow when she had woken up rather late. It said that he had gone to the hardware store to find things to start fixing up the mansion. Ruby was glad Derek finally had something to do. Now that most of his pack was busy and he was less and less involved with the diner he needed something to keep him interested. He wanted to recreate his childhood home for their child and Ruby thought it was a great idea.

Though Ruby had not shown symptoms early on, the morning sickness very forcefully came about. It made Ruby feel like an absolute mess and she was certainly not quite about letting Derek know. He was beyond ecstatic that Ruby was pregnant with his child, but the fact that it was making her feel this way and she was taking it out on him was not a plus in the least. The only moment she was truly happy was when they went to check-ups and got to see their baby and hear its heartbeat through the ultrasound.

At 18 weeks it was time for them to find out the sex of the baby. They had both agreed on knowing because they needed to know everything about their baby due to their genetics. Half the time when they went to check-ups they were afraid that when looking at the ultrasound the baby would be a wolf pup or have claws and pointed ears. Thankfully that hadn't happened so far. They knew that they hadn't shown signs of their traits until they were teenagers, but with the mixture of their genes they were worried it might quicken the process. They had actually made a bet on it. Ruby had bet that the baby would be like her, a full on wolf during the full moon, while of course Derek had bet that the baby would be like him, a werewolf.

Sitting in the room, Dereks' knees jiggled up and down in impatience as he held Ruby's hand while she lay in the chair. The doctor came in, greeted the couple, and got everything situated.

"Alright, are you two ready to find out the sex of your baby?" She asked.

Ruby and Derek both nodded at the same time and the doctor asked Ruby to lift her gown so she could place the gel on her stomach. As the doctor searched for a good look at the baby, Derek and Ruby watched the screen intently to make sure the baby had no wolf like features and it didn't, thank the lord.

"Well would you look at. Looks like you're having a boy." She said with enthusiasm.

Derek punched the air and Ruby clapped excitedly. Neither of them was really set on having a certain gender, they were happy no matter what the gender of the baby was going to be.

They hadn't thought of names before, but as they rode home in the car they were bouncing ideas back and forth. They spent the rest of the day debating names. As they lay in bed, Derek had his hand placed on its new permanent spot; Ruby's ever growing belly. She had a tiny baby bump now and Derek thought it was the cutest thing ever. He noticed Ruby was starting to doze off. She was more tired these days obviously, but he wasn't done getting baby names out. He decided to save her the rant and just name one more.

"How about Benji?"

The moment he said it he felt the baby kick. That was the first time he had ever felt the baby do anything. Ruby's eyes shot open.

"Oh my god, did you feel that? I think he just kicked!" Ruby squealed.

Derek was still in shock, his mouth hanging slightly open. He was finally able to nod his head.

"I think he liked the name Benji." Derek whispered. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like he had to be quiet so he wouldn't frighten the baby.

"Well then Benji it is." Ruby said in agreement. Her alertness didn't last for long though. As soon as the finalization of the name was made Ruby was fast asleep. It took hours for Derek to fall asleep though, he was still high on the adrenaline rush he had gotten from feeling his son kick for the first time. It was like the realization had finally hit him; they were having a baby. It was made all the more real with a name being nailed down and a sign of life. Derek was able to fall asleep around 3 in the morning with a smile on his face and his hand still stuck to Ruby's belly.

Ruby still continued to work at the diner when the morning sickness had subsided and while she wasn't working she would spend her days at the Hale Mansion watching Derek work. Maybe it was her hormones, but watching him work with tools really turned her on. She took advantage of him at any chance she got and he certainly wasn't complaining. Though, further along in the pregnancy those actions needed more encouragement. When Ruby started really showing she became extremely self conscious. Sure, she was big, but that was because she was pregnant. She had to be reminded that daily though.

"Ruby, you are beautiful. The fact that you're carrying our baby makes you even more beautiful to me. You have this glow about you." Derek rubbed both sides of her belly and placed soft kisses beneath her ear. She moaned in appreciation and showed her appreciation of his compliments.

Much to Ruby's appease, the gang still had off for the holiday in January when Ruby was having her baby shower. The gifts included a little red hoodie, so he could match mommy when she wore her red cloak, a pair of wolf paw booties, a grey swaddle with wolf ears, and of course the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. During his early years Ruby would be okay with Benji knowing the fairy tale version of Little Red Riding Hood, it made sense. If he went around telling all of his friends who his mother really was people would label him as a freak and she didn't want that for him. There was the issue of him possibly being a werewolf, but they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

The due date was drawing nearer and everyday Ruby grew more irritated. She was ready for the pregnancy to be over so they could finally meet their baby boy. She became even more enraged when her due date came and went with not even a sign of the baby coming.

On the third day past her due date Ruby was at her wits end.

"Come on baby. Let's go for a walk. Maybe that will kick start your labor." Derek suggested.

Ruby groaned and reluctantly took Derek's hand as helped her up. As soon as she was standing up straight they heard the sound of water hitting the floor and Ruby felt wetness beneath her.

"I think my water just broke." Ruby said in shock.

"I can see that." Derek said in response. He instantly reacted and started searching for their hospital bag that they had had packed for days now. Once they had everything together Derek led her to the car. As they were driving towards the hospital Ruby gripped his hand so tight he felt as though his fingers were about to break. She screamed out in agony. She had obviously started experiencing contractions.

"It's okay baby. We're almost there. Remember your breathing." He instructed her.

Ruby shot him an evil glare as if her eyes could shoot lasers at him.

"Breathing won't fucking help me Derek! The only thing that will help me is if you speed up this fucking car and get me to the fucking hospital so I can finally have this fucking baby!" She screamed at him.

Ruby had strict rules against cussing in front of the baby. She had insisted that the baby could hear whatever Derek was saying and if he cussed it would corrupt the baby. Obviously that rule had gone out the window.

"I'm going as fast as I fucking can Ruby!" He yelled back.

"Language." She corrected him. The rules still applied to him apparently.

When they arrived at the hospital Ruby was screaming out orders along with yelping out in pain at every contraction. He checked her in as fast as he could and soon she was in the delivery room having their baby. Derek was right by her side the entire time, a smile still on his face even though she was squeezing his hand so hard she was practically cutting off his circulation. She finally let go when they heard the scream of their new born baby as he entered the world. They both had tears in their eyes when they saw him for the first time. He had a full head of dark brown hair and looked like the perfect combination of Derek and Ruby. To their relief he was not a wolf pup and he did not have pointed ears or claws.

Benji was certainly a screamer. His first night home he kept them up all night with his wailing. He was also the hungriest baby Derek had ever seen. That boy was always hungry and didn't stop eating until he was satisfied and then usually slept for hours afterwards. Ruby and Derek kept waiting for the moment when they would hear him howling from the crib or when they went to check on him they would find a little pup in the crib, but it never happened. Maybe he had been graced with normalcy, but only time would tell.

Derek had finally finished the mansion a few months later and Ruby had to admit, it was impeccable.

"It's not an exact replica, I updated it a little, but I tried to mimic everything that I could remember." He informed her.

Ruby could tell he was proud of his work and she was in turn proud of him for it. She couldn't wait to see Benji grow up in this house.

It was scary how much Benji grew over the next few years. As soon as he was able to sit up it seemed he was able to crawl and from there he completely skipped walking and went straight to running. He was also a very talkative child. Talking to everyone he would stop to listen to him, which happened often. But with talking came questions. He started to ask why mommy wore a red cloak at night sometimes and why daddy wasn't in bed with them those nights as well. Derek and Ruby knew these questions would come, but that didn't make them anymore prepared for them.

"Sometimes mommy gets really angry and the cloak helps her calm down. It's the same way for daddy, but instead of a cloak daddy goes off to his own little room so that he won't bother anyone." She explained.

Benji took that as a suitable answer and Ruby sighed in relief.

When Benji turned 4 everything changed. They were all sitting downstairs in the living room curled up by the fire. Ruby was wrapped in her cloak sipping tea while Derek sat in the chair next to her, savoring the time he had until he had to go off into the room he had set up for when he had to transition. Benji was playing on the floor and he threw a bouncy ball across the room. It disappeared into the hallway and Benji chased after it. Meer seconds after he disappeared, a wolf pup scampered through the doorway with the ball in his mouth. Ruby gasped and almost dropped her hot tea while Derek's mouth dropped in shock.

"Oh my god, he's a wolf just like me! Take that Derek!" She stuck her tongue out at him and rushed over to pick up a puppy Benji in her arms.

"Dammit." Derek muttered under his breath. Guess he had lost that bet.

Ruby stared in awe at their son. "Isn't he the cutest?" She gushed.

Derek stood up and stood behind her placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, he really is." He said in agreement and kissed her on the cheek.

Benji barked happily and wagged his tail.

"What are we going to do now?" Ruby asked concerned.

"I have no idea," Derek answered her. "But I know that we can do this. If we've made it this far I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle." He assured her.

Derek was right. They had been through so much already that they could handle anything as long as they were together, which they would be for many years to come.

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**I'm such a sucker for cheesy, happy endings. I want to thank everyone that read this story and encouraged me to write. I hope you enjoyed the story :)**


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